Israeli strikes kill 11 as Lebanon cease-fire efforts appear to gain steam

Israeli strikes killed at least 11 people across Lebanon on Friday - including a mother, father and their three kids in a home - as rescue workers called off their search for survivors a day after an Israeli strike on a civil defence centre killed 14 emergency workers and volunteers.

The airstrikes come as Lebanon's prime minister apparently urged Iran to convince the Hizbollah militant group to agree to a ceasefire deal with Israel, which could require the group to pull back from the Israel-Lebanon border.

Since late September, Israel dramatically escalated its bombardment of Lebanon, vowing to cripple Hizbollah and end its barrages in Israel. More than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire - 80% of them in the past month - Lebanon’s Health Ministry says.

The Israel-Hamas war began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and abducting 250 others. Lebanon’s Hizbollah group began firing into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.

Israel’s blistering 13-month war in Gaza has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health officials who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The fighting has left some 76 people dead in Israel, including 31 soldiers.

Associated Press