A deadly Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon killed five people on Sunday, including four US citizens — a father and his three children — in what Lebanese officials are calling a “massacre.”
The strike has drawn international condemnation, inflamed tensions between Israel and Lebanon, and reignited concerns over civilian safety amid ongoing cross-border clashes.
According to the Lebanese government, the strike occurred in the town of Bint Jbeil, a Hezbollah stronghold near the Israeli border. Israeli forces confirmed they had targeted and “eliminated” a Hezbollah operator in the area but admitted that “several uninvolved civilians” had been killed in the process.
“The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible. The incident is under review,” Israel’s military said in a statement.
Lebanese officials identified the victims as a Lebanese-American father and his three young children, all of whom held US citizenship.
Their mother was critically injured in the attack and remains hospitalized. The family had reportedly returned to southern Lebanon to visit relatives and were driving in a Mercedes car when the missiles struck.
Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, issued a statement mourning their deaths, describing the incident as a tragedy that underscored the dangers faced by civilians. Foreign Minister Youssef Raji confirmed that the mother’s condition was dire, calling for urgent international attention.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attack as a deliberate act of terror against civilians. He described the strike as a “massacre” and accused Israel of using intimidation tactics against Lebanese families attempting to return to their homes in the south.
“This crime constitutes a message of intimidation targeting our people returning to their villages,” Salam said. He urged the international community to denounce Israel “in the strongest terms for its repeated violations of international resolutions and international law.”
President Joseph Aoun, currently in New York for the UN General Assembly, echoed these remarks. “Israel is persisting in its continuous violations of international resolutions, foremost among them the ceasefire agreement,” Aoun said. “From New York, we appeal to the international community, whose leaders are present in the halls of the United Nations, to make every effort to put an end to the violations of international resolutions. There can be no peace over the blood of our children.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reacted with shock and outrage to the deaths of the children. In a statement posted to X, the organization said, “Attacks on children are unconscionable. No child should ever pay the price of conflict with their life. Hostilities must cease immediately to ensure the protection of every child.”
Human rights organizations and aid agencies echoed these calls, warning that the continuation of Israeli strikes in civilian-populated areas risked escalating an already fragile situation.
The strike comes less than a year after a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was signed in November. Despite that agreement, Israeli air operations have continued across southern Lebanon, targeting what the IDF describes as Hezbollah operatives and weapons infrastructure. Hezbollah, for its part, has launched sporadic rocket fire and cross-border operations in retaliation.
The latest attack threatens to unravel what little progress has been made in calming tensions. Lebanese officials argue that Israel is deliberately testing the limits of the truce and using military actions to assert dominance ahead of potential peace negotiations.
The timing of the strike also coincided with remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a cabinet session. Netanyahu had boasted of Israel’s “victories in Lebanon against Hezbollah” and suggested that these military successes had created space for peace talks with Syria, Israel’s northern neighbor.
Lebanese leaders reacted furiously, accusing Israel of masking aggressive military actions under the guise of diplomacy. Critics say the killing of civilians, especially American citizens, undermines Israel’s credibility and could draw further scrutiny from Washington.
The deaths of four American citizens are likely to intensify pressure on the Biden administration to address Israel’s military conduct in Lebanon. The US State Department has not yet issued a formal statement, though inquiries have been sent regarding the citizenship status of the victims and possible diplomatic responses.
Lebanon’s government is expected to raise the issue at the UN General Assembly this week, hoping to galvanize international outrage and force accountability measures. Observers note that while the US has historically been Israel’s staunch ally, the killing of American children could complicate political calculations in Washington.
For Lebanese families in the south, Sunday’s strike was a grim reminder that peace remains elusive. Many displaced residents who fled earlier conflicts have been attempting to return home, encouraged by promises of stability following last year’s ceasefire. The attack on a family car shattered that sense of security.
“This is not just about one family, as tragic as their loss is,” Prime Minister Salam said. “It is about whether any Lebanese family can believe they are safe when Israel conducts its operations with such disregard for civilian life.”
