Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed at least 14 people across southern Lebanon, including five women and children, a Lebanese soldier, and a former journalist, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry and the state-run National News Agency. The strikes hit Sidon, Tyre, and Adloun, targeting sites linked to Hezbollah, while the militant group continued drone and rocket attacks into northern Israel, killing one Israeli soldier. The violence comes amid a nominal ceasefire that began on April 17 but has fryed under repeated exchanges.

The Sidon apartment building that housed displaced families

One of the deadliest strikes hit a six-apartment building in Sidon that was sheltering families who had fled the southern fighting, according to the National News Agency. Mohammad Al-Gharbi, a resident across the street, described the chaos: 'I was in my room when part of the wall and shattered glass fell on me, and everything was thrown into chaos. This building that was hit had six apartments occupied by poor families who had fled from the south to escape the attacks there, only to be hit here.' Among the dead was Hossan Zeidan, a former correspondent for Iran's Arabic-language al-Aalam television , as the source reported.

Hossan Zeidan: A former journalist killed in the strike

Hossan Zeidan, identified by the Lebanese National News Agency as a former journalist for Iran's al-Aalam network, was killed in the Sidon strike. It remains unclear whether he was specifically targeted or was a civilian victim of the broader attack. The source notes that the building housed poor families, raising questions about the precision of the targeting. No independent comment from the Israeli military on Zeidan's death was included in the source.

The 3,269 death toll and the collapse of the nominal ceasefire

Since the conflict's start on March 2, at least 3,269 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, with over 9,800 wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. On the Israeli side, at least 23 soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed, mostly by drones. The ceasefire that began on April 17 was meant to pause hostilities, but as the source reported, attacks have continued.. Lebanese and Israeli officials are set to hold security talks in Washington, but the recent strikes suggest that neither side has fully committed to stopping.

Hezbollah's cross-river response and the unanswered security talks

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for multiple drone and rocket attacks targeting Israeli troops and tanks that crossed the Litani River into southern Lebanon. The group's response has been swift, with a Hezbollah drone attack killing an Israeli soldier in northern Israel, the Israeli military confirmed. However, several open questions remain: Why was the building in Sidon housing displaced families hit? Was the former journalist deliberately targeted? And can the Washington talks produce a durable truce when both sides continue military operations? The source does not provide details on the talks' agenda or participants.