BEIRUT — At least one Lebanese woman was killed and five others injured on Saturday as Israeli airstrikes and shelling targeted several towns across southern Lebanon, in response to rocket fire from Lebanese territory aimed at northern Israel.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), an Israeli strike on the town of Toul in southern Lebanon caused one fatality and left three others wounded.

The Lebanese Health Ministry later reported two additional injuries in the town of Kfar Kila as a result of Israeli shelling.

The border towns of Yahmour al-Shakif in the Nabatieh region, Arnoun, Kfar Tibnit, and Houla also came under attack.

NNA confirmed that artillery fire and machine-gun bursts struck towns including Khiam, Markaba, and Kfar Kila, while a rocket landed in Houla.

The Israeli military acknowledged conducting airstrikes on Hezbollah-linked targets in southern Lebanon earlier in the day but did not provide further details.

The escalation followed Israel's claim that it had intercepted three rockets fired from Lebanon toward the Israeli settlement of Metula in northern Israel — marking the first such attack since a ceasefire between the two sides took effect in November 2024.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti voiced deep concern over the renewed hostilities, warning that “any further escalation of this volatile situation could have serious consequences for the region.”

He urged all parties to avoid undermining recent progress and reiterated that UN peacekeepers remain deployed across all positions in southern Lebanon.

The fragile ceasefire, which ended months of intense cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, has been marred by ongoing violations. Lebanese authorities have documented nearly 1,100 Israeli breaches of the agreement, resulting in the deaths of at least 85 people and injuries to more than 280.

Under the terms of the deal, Israel was expected to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 26, but the deadline was extended to February 18 after Israeli refusal to comply. As of now, Israeli forces still maintain a presence at five border outposts. — Agencies