Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the 13 personnel died when a government building in the southern city was hit. Civil-defence teams were still searching the rubble, leaving open the possibility that the toll could rise. Lebanon's National News Agency separately reported that one person was killed and another wounded in an air strike on Hannawiya.
Other attacks were reported in Aita al-Shaab, al-Majadel and Hanine. Reporting from southern Lebanon described sustained military activity through the day, including destroyed homes. Human Rights Watch said Israeli forces had destroyed or badly damaged the principal bridges linking communities south of the Litani River with the rest of Lebanon between March 12 and April 8, leaving only one main crossing operational.
Hezbollah said it responded with rockets toward Kiryat Shmona, Metula and Misgav Am in northern Israel. The group also claimed a missile attack on the Ashdod naval base, presenting its actions as retaliation for Israeli operations and alleged ceasefire violations. The supplied reporting did not provide an independent assessment of those battlefield claims or describe casualties from the launches.
The fighting was less intense in Beirut than during a major assault two days earlier, but pressure on civilian services remained high. The World Health Organization said it had obtained assurances that Rafik Hariri University Hospital and Al Zahraa Hospital, both included in an Israeli evacuation order, would not be attacked. About 450 patients remained inside because evacuation was not considered feasible.
Food access was also deteriorating. World Food Programme country director Allison Oman said prices were rising as displaced households increased demand and regional warfare disrupted supply routes. UNICEF said almost 390,000 children were among more than one million displaced people. It reported that 600 children had been killed or injured in Lebanon since March 2 and that some children were missing or separated from their families.
The escalation followed the opening of the US-Israel war with Iran on February 28 and a Hezbollah attack against Israel on March 2, after which Israel began an air campaign and ground operations in southern Lebanon. Lebanon's Health Ministry put the cumulative toll from Israeli attacks at 1,953 killed and 6,303 injured.
Diplomatic contacts were developing but remained preliminary. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered direct negotiations with Lebanon. A Lebanese official said Beirut intended to attend a Washington meeting with US and Israeli representatives, while another Lebanese source described that gathering as preparatory rather than a negotiation. Against that uncertain diplomatic backdrop, the strike on a state institution added a new point of contention to an already widening conflict.
