Beirut, May 31 (QNA) - Israeli forces intensified their military operations in southern Lebanon, launching airstrikes and expanding their ground incursion into several southern villages and towns, culminating in the capture of Beaufort Castle (Qal'at al-Shaqif), amid warnings of a worsening humanitarian and security situation in the region.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Deir al-Zahrani at dawn, specifically Al-Arab neighborhood near the municipal building, carrying out what it described as a massacre that resulted in a number of deaths and injuries.

According to field sources, eight were killed and 20 were wounded in the attack on Deir al-Zahrani.

The airstrikes targeted residential homes while their occupants were asleep inside, causing casualties, injuries of varying severity, and extensive material damage in the affected area.

In a related development, the spokesperson for the Israeli army issued an urgent warning to residents living south of the Zahrani River, calling on them to evacuate their areas.

On the ground, local sources reported that Israeli forces had taken control of Qal'at al-Shaqif, located on one of the highest hills in the Nabatieh district. The site is considered strategically important due to its commanding view over large areas of southern Lebanon, as well as its overlook of the Golan Heights and the Galilee.

Yesterday, a Lebanese military source revealed that Israeli forces had reached several villages and towns north of the Litani River, including Zawtar and Shqif on the outskirts of the city of Nabatieh. This comes amid continued Israeli military escalation and an increasing pace of airstrikes and ground incursions in southern areas. (QNA)