BEIRUT/JERUSALEM – At least 18 people were killed and 33 others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes on residential areas in southern Lebanon early Friday, the Lebanese Health Ministry's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said on Friday.

In a statement, the center said ongoing Israeli airstrikes had hampered rescue efforts and prevented the evacuation of victims in some affected areas, adding that the toll remained preliminary.

Lebanon's National News Agency has previously reported that 16 people were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes on residential areas in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh district. The report said the strikes targeted the towns of Harouf, Sharqieh and Kfar Sir, while additional raids hit Kfar Remmen, Kfar Tebnit and other nearby localities, causing casualties, injuries and reports of missing persons.

Nabatieh and its surrounding areas witnessed one of the heaviest nights of bombardment in recent months as Israeli forces intensified attacks across the region. Beginning around 1:30 am local time (2230 GMT Thursday), heavy artillery shelling struck Nabatieh city and the towns of Kfar Remmen, Zebdine, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Habboush, Sajd and Jabal al-Rihan.

At approximately 2:10 am, Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes targeting Nabatieh city, Kfar Tebnit, Nabatieh al-Fawqa and the Rihan Heights.

Around 3:00 am, Israeli aircraft carried out two waves of strikes on the Kfar Remmen-Nabatieh area, the university district of Nabatieh city and the Baydar neighborhood in Harouf, killing eight people, according to preliminary reports. Another strike targeted the area between the towns of Sharqiyeh and Doueir, destroying a house and killing four people.

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Simultaneously, Israeli artillery heavily shelled the Rahibat neighborhood in Nabatieh city.

In Kfar Sir, an Israeli airstrike killed three people, while the town of Qsaybeh was hit by another strike around 4:00 am, accompanied by artillery shelling targeting the outskirts of Kfar Sir and Qsaybeh. Additional airstrikes later struck Kfardjal and Kfar Tebnit.

At about 5:00 am, an Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle near the Doueir municipality building, killing one person and injuring another.

The town of Jebchit was also subjected to a series of drone strikes, accompanied by artillery shelling.

Around 5:15 am, Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike on Adchit, followed by additional strikes on the Kfar Remmen-Nabatieh area and Toul, while artillery shelling continued to target Jebchit.

The attacks came despite a recent Iran-US agreement aimed at de-escalating regional tensions, including in Lebanon, and amid continued diplomatic efforts to prevent a further escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

4 Israeli soldiers killed

Also on Friday, four Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon before dawn after an aerial object hit their tank.

Those killed during "combat" consisted of an armored battalion commander and three soldiers, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli media reports.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that the incident occurred in the Kfar Tebnit village area, adding that the IDF is investigating whether the object that hit the tank was an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah.

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In another incident in southern Lebanon later on Friday, an explosive drone fired by Hezbollah seriously wounded an Israeli officer and slightly wounded four other soldiers, the IDF said in a separate statement.