The ministry said the deaths occurred in separate strikes on Haboush, Deir al-Zahrani, Harouf, and Majdal Selm, while Israeli forces also issued fresh evacuation warnings for villages north of the Litani River. 

The Israeli military stated it had targeted Hezbollah-linked infrastructure and responded to rocket fire directed at its positions in southern Israel, without immediately commenting on specific civilian casualties reported by Lebanese authorities.

A spokesperson for the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said rescue teams were still searching damaged buildings. "Initial field reports confirm 12 fatalities, including children and a paramedic who was directly hit while responding to an earlier strike,” the spokesperson said, adding that casualty figures could rise as operations continue.

Residents described scenes of panic and destruction as strikes hit populated areas. "We heard loud explosions one after another. The house shook, and people ran into the streets screaming,” said a resident of Harouf identified as Hassan al-Masri. In Majdal Selm, a colleague of the killed paramedic said emergency teams were clearly marked when they were struck. "They were trying to evacuate wounded civilians. We lost someone who was only doing his job,” he said.

The Israeli military said in a brief statement that it had acted against "military targets belonging to Hezbollah” and accused the group of operating within civilian areas. It added that it "takes measures to mitigate harm to non-combatants,” without addressing the specific reports of children among the dead.

Diplomat News Network field observations noted heightened tension across southern Lebanon, with ambulance sirens frequently heard in affected towns and visible damage to residential structures in multiple villages. Roads connecting Nabatieh and Marjayoun saw intermittent closures as civil defense units moved between strike sites.

The escalation comes after months of intensified cross-border exchanges following renewed hostilities in March. A fragile ceasefire arrangement reached in mid-April has faced repeated violations, with both sides accusing the other of breaches. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have recently stated that broader de-escalation is possible but linked ongoing tensions primarily to Hezbollah’s role in the conflict.

Analysts say the expanding geographic spread of strikes and increasing civilian toll risks further destabilizing southern Lebanon, where infrastructure is already strained by repeated cycles of violence. Continued exchanges between Hezbollah and Israeli forces suggest limited immediate prospects for containment despite diplomatic pressure from international actors.