Another 37 people have been injured in the attacks, which were preceded by an Israeli warning that residents of villages north of the Litani River must leave their homes.
Israel reportedly launched attacks on seven villages in southern Lebanon shortly before 2 p.m. Swedish time. Airstrikes were carried out, among other locations, in Kfar Tibnit - one of the villages included in Israel's evacuation order, according to the Lebanese news agency NNA.
The attacks are being carried out despite an ongoing ceasefire. Both Israel and the Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah have repeatedly accused the other side of violating the ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Hezbollah's actions threaten the ceasefire, while vowing to "forcefully" strike back against the Iran-backed group. The statement came shortly after reports that three drones had been shot down by the military before they reached Israeli soil.
Netanyahu's accusations are rejected by Hezbollah, which has said it will continue to respond to Israel's violations of the ceasefire and to the occupation of southern Lebanon.
Israel has previously said it wants to “maintain a security zone across the entire area up to the Litani,” which is about 30 miles from the Israeli border. The seven villages covered by Sunday’s evacuation order are instead located north of the river.
