Israeli airstrikes kill seven in southern Lebanon as a Catholic convent demolition sparks dispute between Israel and church officials.

Newsroom (04/05/2026 Gaudium Press) Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least seven people on Saturday and injured others, as tensions continued to escalate despite a ceasefire that has been in place since mid-April. The violence coincided with the demolition of parts of a Catholic convent in a border village, prompting conflicting accounts from Israeli authorities and church officials.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that two people were killed in an airstrike targeting a car in Kfar Dajal, while another strike on a home in Lwaizeh killed three. Two additional fatalities were reported in Shoukin following another attack. The Israeli military said its air force conducted approximately 50 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, targeting what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel.

In Yaroun, a village near the Israeli border, Israeli forces used bulldozers to destroy sections of a Catholic convent that had been abandoned due to ongoing hostilities. According to Gladys Sabbagh, superior general of the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters, the compound included a school that had remained closed since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, as well as a clinic that had recently been relocated.

“What we heard is that it was destroyed with bulldozers,” Sabbagh said, noting that the convent had housed only two nuns before they left amid the conflict. She added that residents of Yaroun have been displaced, limiting access to further details.

The Israeli military acknowledged the damage but disputed the characterization of the site. In a statement, it said troops were targeting Hezbollah infrastructure when a building “with no religious signs” was hit. The military added that operations were halted once it became aware of the building’s religious affiliation, and emphasized that it does not intentionally strike religious institutions.

It also alleged that Hezbollah had previously used the compound to launch rockets into Israel, a claim firmly rejected by the Catholic Church in Lebanon.

“We are against all practices against places of worship and churches,” said Rev. Abdo Abou Kassm, director of the Catholic Center for Information. “These are places to spread peace, love and education. These are not military bases.”

The demolition comes amid heightened sensitivity following recent images showing an Israeli soldier damaging a statue of Jesus in the village of Debel, an incident that drew widespread condemnation both within Lebanon and internationally.

Meanwhile, hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continued on multiple fronts. Hezbollah said it carried out a drone attack targeting Israeli troops gathered in a house in the coastal village of Bayed.

The Israeli military has intensified operations along the border in recent weeks, leveling neighborhoods it claims were used as Hezbollah outposts. A video released by the military showed soldiers moving through the разрушed remains of a soccer stadium in Bint Jbeil, which it said had been destroyed after being found booby-trapped.

The current conflict began on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel, shortly after the United States and Israel initiated military action against Iran, Hezbollah’s primary backer. Since then, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes and launched a ground offensive, capturing multiple towns and villages along the Lebanese border.

Despite a ceasefire brokered in Washington that took effect on April 17 and was later extended, both sides have continued to exchange attacks. Israel has also issued new evacuation warnings to residents in nine southern Lebanese villages.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the conflict has killed 2,659 people and wounded 8,183 since it began two months ago.

• Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now

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