At least 11 killed in Israel airstrikes in Lebanon on Easter Sunday

An Israeli airstrike on Kfarhata, a village in southern Lebanon, killed seven people on Sunday, including a 4-year-old child, Lebanon's Health Ministry reported.

Another strike on the Jnah neighborhood in Beirut killed four people and injured 39 others, the ministry added.

The attack on Kfarhata came after the Israeli military issued an overnight evacuation order, instructing residents to leave the village.

The violence coincided with Easter Sunday, as Lebanese Christians, who make up roughly a third of the population, marked the holiday. The day became one of the most violent since fighting with Israel erupted early last month.

Beirut resonated with the sounds of airstrikes and the screech of low-flying planes throughout Sunday. According to state media, the southern suburbs of the capital were hit by eight airstrikes.

Earlier, the Lebanese army reported that a soldier had been killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.

On Saturday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for Lebanon's Masnaa border crossing with Syria—the main entry point between the two countries—alleging that Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed armed group, was using it for military purposes.

Lebanon was drawn into the broader Middle East conflict when Hezbollah began launching rockets at Israel on March 2 in support of Iran. Israel responded with strikes across Lebanon, including an incursion into the south, marking the most violent spillover of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

By late March, sources told Reuters that more than 400 Hezbollah fighters had been killed, while at least 10 Israeli troops had died in southern Lebanon during the same period, according to the Israeli military.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 1,461 people had been killed in Israeli attacks as of Sunday, an increase of 39 in just 24 hours. More than one million people have been displaced.

Israel has stated its intention to establish a "security zone" up to 30 km (20 miles) into Lebanese territory. Evacuation orders have covered roughly 15% of Lebanon’s territory.

Despite the warnings, tens of thousands of Lebanese have remained in their homes, including around 9,000 Lebanese Christians living in border towns, who told Reuters they are determined to stay.

-Editing by Ros Russell/Reuters