Rescue workers search for survivors using heavy machinery through the rubble of houses damaged by an Israeli airstrike in the village of Saksakieh, southern Lebanon, Saturday, May 9, 2026. MOHAMMED ZAATARI / AP
Lebanese official media reported three Israeli strikes south of Beirut on Saturday, May 9, despite a three-week-old ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it targeted northern Israel with a drone in response to continued Israeli attacks. Israeli forces and Hezbollah have traded fire daily, mostly in southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire agreement in effect since April 17.
"The Israeli enemy launched two strikes on the Saadiyat highway," the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported, referring to a location around 20 kilometers south of Beirut and outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds. It later reported a third strike nearby.
An Agence France-Presse correspondent saw two stricken cars and emergency workers on the highway linking Beirut to the country's south. The NNA also reported a series of Israeli strikes across the south, including one on the southern town of Saksakiyeh, saying there were casualties without additional information. Israel's military had called on residents of nine villages to evacuate, warning that it would act "forcefully" against Hezbollah after its "violation of the ceasefire agreement."
