Israeli strike kills Lebanese local official: State media

Israeli bombardment killed a local official in south Lebanon on Monday, the state-run National News Agency said, amid cross-border exchanges of fire mainly between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.

The Lebanese news agency reported the death of Hussein Mansour, 80, a local official from Taybeh near the border, “in an Israeli enemy attack” on the village.

“The shell that targeted (Mansour’s) house did not explode” but struck the local official and killed him, the NNA said, adding that eight other people were on a balcony with him at the time.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the frontier between Lebanon and Israel has seen intensifying exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Shia Muslim movement Hezbollah, raising fears of a broader conflagration.

More than 120 people have been killed on the Lebanese side since October, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also including 17 civilians.

Israel says six soldiers and four Israeli civilians have been killed in the country’s north.

The NNA reported Israeli shelling and raids in various parts of south Lebanon on Monday, while Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against Israeli troops and positions near the border.