BEIRUT, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people were killed and several others wounded on Saturday in two Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, which Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said sent a "clear message" against the ongoing negotiating track, according to Lebanese sources.
Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed TV reported that four people were killed and nine others wounded after an Israeli airstrike hit a two-story building in the town of Deir Al Zahrani in the Nabatieh District.
Separately, in the town of Ansar in the same district, an Israeli airstrike on a house killed seven people and wounded several others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The victims included three children and two women.
The strikes came amid renewed Israeli airstrikes and heavy shelling in Nabatieh and nearby villages, prompting hundreds of residents to flee toward the southern city of Sidon, according to local reports.
In response, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the ongoing Israeli attacks, saying they represent repeated violations of the framework agreement and international laws on protecting civilians.
According to a statement from his office, Aoun said the violations killed an entire family in Ansar and "constitute a clear message to the negotiating track and to the American efforts aimed at implementing this agreement."
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the Israeli escalation in Nabatieh and surrounding villages, warning the attacks were undermining efforts to stabilize southern Lebanon.
"Israel must stop this escalation," Salam said in a statement posted on X, stressing that the security of residents and their right to live on their land "are not subject to negotiation or bargaining."
For his part, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the Israeli airstrikes were part of what he described as an ongoing "war of extermination" against southern Lebanon.
Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement late June under U.S. mediation, which aims to advance a lasting security arrangement between the two countries and lay the groundwork for a broader peace process.
The two sides wrapped up their seventh round of talks in Rome earlier this month and are expected to meet again in the Italian capital in early September. ■
