1 killed in Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

By Mohamed Majed and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - One person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on the town of Aitaroun in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon on Friday, in a new violation of the ceasefire agreement.

“A hostile (Israeli) drone targeted the al-Dhuhour area in the town of Aitaroun some time ago,” according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Regarding the toll of the strike, the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement that the bombing “resulted in one martyr,” without providing further details.

Cross-border tensions between Israel and Lebanon have escalated in recent months amid ongoing hostilities in Gaza.

A ceasefire was reached in November 2024, following a military offensive launched by Israel on Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by January, but it only partially pulled out troops and maintains a military presence at five border outposts.