Israeli drone strikes near Beirut kill 8, including two children

The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah facilities in several areas of southern Lebanon, hours after warning residents of six villages in the south to leave their homes.

The Health Ministry confirmed the three attacks but did not provide a breakdown of how many people were killed in each vehicle.

Two of the strikes hit the highway connecting Beirut with the southern port city of Sidon. A third strike hit the town of Saadiyat near the busy coastal road, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. Later in the afternoon, another drone strike hit a car at the northern entrance to Sidon.

An Associated Press photographer saw the bodies of three victims at two strike sites near the coastal towns of Barja and Jiyeh.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes were reported in several towns and villages. Hezbollah said it also launched fresh attacks on Israel, as cross-border hostilities continued despite a US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on April 17.

The current conflict began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran.

Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said on Tuesday that 380 people have been killed and 1,122 injured since the ceasefire began. Since the conflict started, the overall death toll has reached 2,882, with 8,786 others wounded.

Meanwhile, Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to help the two countries move toward a breakthrough in their long-standing conflict, reports UNB.