Israeli army claims to have intercepted 'suspicious' aerial object near border with Lebanon

By Ahmed Asmar and Khaled Yousef

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army on Friday claimed to have intercepted an aerial "suspicious object" near the borders with Lebanon.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it launched an interceptor missile toward a "suspicious aerial target" over the Zar'it settlement area in northern Israel, close to the borders with Lebanon.

The military statement did not provide further details on the incident, but said it is under investigation.

On Thursday, the Israeli army also said it downed a surveillance drone launched by the Hezbollah group.

Hezbollah, however, did not comment on the claim.

Earlier on Friday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on Bekaa, eastern Lebanon, killed two people and injured 10 others.

The latest breach brings the total number of violations since the agreement came into force in late November to 824, according to statistics compiled by Anadolu based on announcements from Lebanon's National News Agency.

A fragile cease-fire has been in place since Nov. 27, ending a period of mutual shelling between Israel and the Hezbollah group that began on Oct. 8, 2023, and escalated into a full-scale conflict on Sept. 23 last year.

Under the ceasefire terms, Israel was required to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line—a de facto border—in phases, while the Lebanese army was to deploy in southern Lebanon within 60 days.

The US, however, said that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to an extension of the deadline until Feb. 18.

Data from the Lebanese Health Ministry indicates that since Israel’s onslaught against Lebanon began on Oct. 8, 2023, at least 4,080 people have been killed, including women, children, and health workers, while 16,753 have been injured.