BEIRUT: Two brothers were killed Monday in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, officials said, bringing the total toll from such attacks to 13 since Thursday.
Israel’s air force has stepped up bombings in recent days, saying that it is striking members of Iran-backed Hezbollah and its infrastructure, despite an ongoing truce in Lebanon reached in November 2024.
Lebanon’s health ministry said in a statement that two brothers were killed in the Israeli strike on the village of Al-Bayyad in the Tyre district.
Lebanese official news agency ANI said the two were killed in an attack on a sawmill in Al-Bayyad.
Lebanese leaders have accused Israel of attempting to prevent reconstruction in the region, devastated by last year’s war, by targeting the machinery including diggers and bulldozers.
Three people were killed on Sunday in raids on southern and eastern Lebanon.
The Israeli army said it targeted an arms dealer working for Hezbollah and another man who was “aiding the group’s attempts to rebuild its capacity for military action.”
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem told the group’s Al-Manar channel in an interview broadcast Sunday that the group was “prepared to defend itself” if needed.
“The possibility of war exists but is uncertain, it depends on their calculations,” Qassem said in reference to Israel.
“We are ready for defense, but not for attack,” he added, stating that Hezbollah was upholding a ceasefire in force since last November.
Since Hezbollah was gravely weakened by last year’s fighting, the American government has been pressuring Lebanon to have the group surrender its arms to the country’s army.
American Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus arrived late Monday in Beirut, where she is scheduled to meet Lebanese leaders.
She will also attend a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism that brings together Lebanon, Israel, the US, France and the UN.
Lebanese officials say two killed in Israeli strike
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Lebanese officials say two killed in Israeli strike
- Since Thursday, 13 Lebanese were killed in several Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon
India’s Modi is making his second official visit to Israel to meet with Netanyahu
- In addition to being a powerful ally, India is also Israel’s No. 2 trading partner in Asia
JERUSALEM: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit focusing on strengthening security, economic and technological cooperation between the two countries.
Modi has said he would hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog and would speak to Israeli parliament on Wednesday evening.
“Our nations share a robust and multifaceted Strategic Partnership,” Modi wrote on X. “Ties have significantly strengthened in the last few years.”
Netanyahu referred to himself and Modi as “personal friends” when he announced the visit earlier this week and the visit is likely to give Israel a boost of international support after seeing relations with many of its allies deteriorate since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
In addition to being a powerful ally, India is also Israel’s No. 2 trading partner in Asia. Total trade between India and Israel was valued at $3.62 billion in the 2025 fiscal year, according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Modi became India’s first prime minister to travel to Israel in 2017, and Netanyahu reciprocated with a trip to India the following year.
Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday that economic and security issues will be high on the leaders’ agenda, as will sharing technology, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“We are partners in innovation, security, and a shared strategic vision,” Netanyahu said on the social platform X ahead of Modi’s arrival. “Together, we are building an axis of nations committed to stability and progress.”
Modi’s embrace of Israel has marked a shift in India’s foreign policy. India has historically supported the Palestinians, and did not establish full diplomatic ties with Israel until 1992.
A staunch Hindu nationalist, Modi was one of the first global leaders to swiftly express solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group.
India was also among more than 100 countries earlier this month to condemn Israel’s newly approved measures to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank and weaken the already limited powers of the Palestinian Authority.
