At least 21 people, including children, were killed on Tuesday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, according to the country's health ministry and local media. The state-run National News Agency reported that 12 of the victims died in a single strike targeting a house in Deir Kanoun al-Nahr, where three children and three women were among the dead. The Israeli military did not comment on the incident but previously stated that its operations were aimed at Iran-backed Hezbollah forces. Earlier the same day, a Hezbollah attack on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon killed one Israeli soldier.

The escalation comes less than a week after the United States announced that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to extend a ceasefire by 45 days, with talks expected to resume next month. Lebanon became involved in the broader conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in an Israeli strike.

Despite the U.S.-brokered ceasefire being in effect for about five weeks, both Israel and Hezbollah have continued exchanging attacks, particularly in southern Lebanon, where Israeli air raids persist day and night.