BEIRUT, June 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured in a wave of Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, according to Lebanon's sources, underscoring the continuing volatility along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The deadliest attack targeted a residential area in the southern city of Tyre, where eight people were killed and 32 others wounded, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) and local rescue officials.
Elsewhere, six people were killed in separate drone strikes in the Nabatieh region, including four in a pre-dawn attack on the town of kfar Remmen. In another incident, two Syrian nationals were killed in a preliminary toll from a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the area between the towns of Ansariyeh and Adloun.
Lebanon's Civil Defense Directorate said two of its personnel sustained minor injuries when a drone strike hit an area in the town of Sharqiya while they were responding to an earlier attack on a vehicle.
Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said the cumulative toll from Israeli attacks between March 2 and June 9 had reached 3,666 dead and 11,321 injured.
The continued violence comes despite a ceasefire agreement reached on June 3 following trilateral negotiations in Washington involving Lebanon, Israel, and the United States.
On Monday, following the most intense exchange of missile attacks between Iran and Israel since their ceasefire took effect, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran's main military command, warned in a statement that any further Israeli "aggression and malicious acts," including in southern Lebanon, would provoke a much more "severe and crushing" response from Tehran.
In response, Hezbollah said its fighters launched successive rocket barrages overnight at an Israeli armored force attempting to advance from the border town of Bayada toward Byout al-Siyyad, forcing the troops to retreat.
Amid ongoing tensions, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated on Tuesday that ending hostilities requires an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories, saying such a move would help Lebanon extend state authority across the country, according to the Lebanese presidency.
Beyond the daily toll of casualties, months of hostilities have also reshaped transportation routes, civilian movement, and security conditions across large parts of southern Lebanon.
During a field tour conducted by Xinhua across areas stretching from the Lebanese-Israeli border toward the city of Nabatieh, damaged roads, limited civilian traffic, and persistent security concerns were visible far beyond the frontline villages.
Duraid al-Ashi, a resident of Marjayoun, told Xinhua that the main road traditionally used by civilians and convoys of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) between Marjayoun and Beirut via Khardali has become nearly impassable and extremely dangerous to use.
Adel Tarraf, a 40-year-old taxi driver from the town of Dibbine, told Xinhua that travel has become more restricted and dangerous, with civilian traffic dropping significantly on roads that once served as vital connections between southern villages.
"The geography of daily movement has changed," said Jalal Rahal, a 50-year-old resident of the Marjayoun area. "Roads that once connected villages and towns have become increasingly difficult or risky to use."
A Lebanese security source monitoring developments along the border told Xinhua that extensive destruction and continuing security concerns have significantly reduced civilian presence in a number of border villages, while military activity and security restrictions continue to affect movement along several strategic routes.
Retired Lebanese army brigadier general and military analyst Jalal Sarhal said the effects of military operations extend beyond areas where troops are physically deployed.
"Large parts of the territory south of the Litani River remain exposed to surveillance drones, artillery fire, and airstrikes despite the absence of a permanent military presence, limiting movement and delaying the return of displaced residents," Sarhal told Xinhua. ■
