Syrian father, 12-year-old daughter killed in Israeli drone strike in Lebanon
By Carl Robert
Israeli drone strikes killed a Syrian father and his 12-year-old daughter in Nabatieh on Saturday, Lebanese officials said.
The attack unfolded in three successive strikes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry and civil defense officials, marking another deadly escalation in a conflict that has continued despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanese authorities said the father and daughter were riding a motorcycle near Al Sabah Al Jadida Secondary School around 10:30 a.m. when the first drone strike hit.
Health Ministry officials said the pair survived the initial strike and attempted to flee before a second strike killed the father. The wounded girl reportedly moved about 100 meters from the scene before a third drone strike targeted her directly. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency later reported that she died from her injuries at Nabih Berri Governmental Hospital.
A civil defense source in Nabatieh said the father and daughter had been collecting supplies before the attack. Lebanese authorities did not immediately identify the victims publicly, and the Israeli military had not issued an official statement on the strike by Saturday evening.
The killings came amid intensified Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon that left at least 17 people dead Saturday, according to Lebanese officials. Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks hit several towns in Nabatieh and Tyre districts, including Saksakiyeh, Bourj Rahhal and Maifadoun, further straining a ceasefire that took effect in April but has repeatedly collapsed under renewed violence.
The latest strike revived scrutiny over so-called “double-tap” or repeated strikes, a tactic rights groups and humanitarian agencies have criticized in previous conflicts because it can endanger survivors and rescue workers responding to initial attacks. Earlier this month, Lebanese officials accused Israel of carrying out repeated strikes on ambulances and paramedics in Nabatieh district, including attacks that wounded emergency responders attempting rescues.
Southern Lebanon has witnessed near-daily Israeli strikes since fighting reignited March 2 after Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel following regional tensions linked to Iran. Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and later expanded military operations inside Lebanese territory, saying it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and commanders. Lebanese authorities say civilians increasingly have been caught in the violence.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says more than 2,700 people have been killed and over 8,300 wounded since the latest round of fighting began, though officials have not provided a detailed breakdown between civilians and combatants.
Israeli authorities say Hezbollah attacks have killed Israeli soldiers and civilians near the border while wounding others in drone and rocket attacks.
The Nabatieh strike echoed earlier incidents involving children and families in southern Lebanon. In February, mourners in the village of Yanouh buried a Lebanese police officer and his young son after an Israeli drone strike targeting a Hezbollah member hit nearby. Relatives said the father and child were walking when the attack struck a passing vehicle.
Israeli strikes also have repeatedly hit Nabatieh district in recent weeks. On May 1, Lebanese officials said air raids killed civilians, including a girl, in Harouf and other nearby towns. Days later, additional strikes in Nabatieh reportedly killed several people and wounded rescue workers responding to earlier attacks. Lebanese officials have accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law by targeting civilian areas and emergency crews.
Israel has maintained that its operations target Hezbollah fighters, weapons sites and commanders embedded within civilian areas. Earlier this week, Israel carried out its first strike near Beirut since the ceasefire began, saying it targeted a Hezbollah Radwan Force commander in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital. The strike intensified fears that the conflict could spiral into a broader regional confrontation.
Diplomatic efforts led by the United States and regional mediators have so far failed to halt the violence. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned the continued strikes and warned that attacks on civilians threaten any remaining chance of stabilizing the border. Talks involving Lebanese and Israeli officials are expected to continue in Washington next week as international pressure mounts to preserve the collapsing truce.
