Lebanon Accuses Israel of ‘Massacre’ After Drone Strike Kills Five, Including Children

A deadly escalation in southern Lebanon sparks outrage and global appeals

Southern Lebanon was thrown into mourning on Sunday after an Israeli drone strike near the border town of Bint Jbeil killed five people, including three children. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed the deaths, calling the attack one of the deadliest since last year’s ceasefire agreement was signed.

President Joseph Aoun, addressing reporters while attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, condemned the strike as a “massacre” and accused Israel of violating international law. “As we are in New York to discuss matters of peace and human rights, Israel continues its ongoing violations,” he said, urging world leaders gathered at the UN to press Israel into honoring the ceasefire and withdrawing from Lebanese territory.

Israeli air strike on southern Lebanon kills one person, Lebanese official National News Agency reports, in another violation of ceasefire pic.twitter.com/k6TmYNIPkw

TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) September 21, 2025

Leaders call attack a ‘deliberate crime’

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam went further, calling the attack a “deliberate crime against civilians.” He demanded that the guarantors of the ceasefire, chiefly the United States and France step up pressure on Israel. “The guarantor states of the ceasefire agreement should exercise the strongest pressure on Israel to immediately stop its aggressions,” Salam wrote on X.

The state-run National News Agency reported that the drone targeted a motorcycle, though the victims killed included young children. Images of grieving families quickly spread across Lebanese and regional social media platforms, fueling anger and fears of a return to all-out war.

Ceasefire under strain

The November ceasefire, designed to halt more than a year of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, was meant to provide breathing space for Lebanon’s fragile government. Instead, the truce has been eroded by repeated Israeli airstrikes. Lebanese officials say Thursday’s attacks on Hezbollah arms depots brought the total number of ceasefire violations to over 4,500.

Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi recently pledged that Lebanon’s army would complete the disarmament of Hezbollah fighters in the border area within three months, under U.S. and French supervision. But the latest strike, officials warn, could derail that delicate process.

Public anger and international pressure

On the streets of Lebanon, frustration is mounting. Local commentators argue that Israel’s repeated strikes are undermining Lebanon’s own attempts to rein in Hezbollah, while civilians continue to pay the heaviest price. Social media posts from Bint Jbeil and beyond used the Arabic hashtag “#BintJbeilMassacre,” demanding international accountability.

For Israel, the strikes are justified as operations against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed movement it considers an existential threat. But for Lebanese families grieving the deaths of children, that justification rings hollow.

As the UN General Assembly continues in New York, Lebanese leaders are hoping the mounting civilian death toll will force the international community to act. For now, however, the future of the fragile ceasefire remains deeply uncertain.

{Source: The Citizen}

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