Israeli drone strike kills 3 people in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

By Omar Alothmani and Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Three people were killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

The ministry’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center said the fatalities occurred in a strike targeting a vehicle in the Kafr Dajjal town of Nabatieh district.

According to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA, Israeli drones have been flying over Nabatieh since Tuesday morning.

On Thursday, two Israeli strikes killed three people in southern Lebanon.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November, which ended months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 217 victims and injuries to more than 500.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply.

It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.