Israeli strikes kill 12 in Lebanon as cross-border hostilities escalate

At least 12 people were killed and several others wounded in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon late Sunday and Monday, amid escalating cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, reported Xinhua.

The casualties included a Syrian national and a paramedic, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.

Hezbollah said in separate statements that it targeted infrastructure used by the Israeli military in the Israeli city of Tiberias with a rocket barrage. It also reported several other attacks, including one on an Israeli force on the eastern outskirts of Yohmor al-Shaqif in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, several media reports citing a statement by Hezbollah's operations room said Monday that the group claimed currently in a "battle of attrition" against Israeli forces near southern Lebanon's Beaufort Ridge, a day after Israel said it captured the ridge, including the strategic castle at its summit.

The ridge is an area beyond the "security zone" Israel has maintained since a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect in mid-April.

The capture, which media reports called Israel's "deepest advance into Lebanon" in over 20 years, was met with immediate condemnation from the Arab world, as well as France, Germany and Britain.

Despite the April ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes in Lebanon, while Hezbollah has launched attacks on Israeli military positions.

According to Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed more than 3,400 people and wounded over 10,200 others in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, on Monday warned Israel against bombing the Lebanese capital city of Beirut and its southern district of Dahieh, the official news agency IRNA reported, said Xinhua.

In a statement, the command warned citizens in northern Israel and military settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories to evacuate if the Israeli attacks continue.

It accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of continuing his "malicious actions" in the West Asia region by threatening to bomb Beirut and Dahieh.

Also on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also expressed concern over Israel's frequent ceasefire violations in Lebanon, the continued displacement of Lebanese citizens, and the U.S. political and military support for Israel.

In a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the Iranian president said the United States' failure to fulfill its commitments and Israel's destabilizing actions have posed challenges to the diplomatic process. He noted that Iran is committed to resolving regional tensions through dialogue and diplomacy.

Netanyahu and Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday said in a joint statement that they had ordered the military to strike Beirut's southern suburbs, in response to repeated Hezbollah "violations" of the ceasefire in Lebanon by launching attacks on northern Israeli cities.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Monday that Tehran has halted talks and exchanges of draft proposals with the United States via mediation in protest against Israel's actions in Lebanon.