Israeli strike kills 1, injures 3 in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

By Wassim Seifeddine and Mohammad Sio

BEIRUT / ISTANBUL (AA) – One person was killed and three others were injured in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Thursday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said the strike targeted a vehicle on a highway in the Khalde area, south of Beirut, causing the casualties.

An Anadolu reporter said that the Israeli strike had left the vehicle in flames.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that the attack targeted an individual involved in smuggling weapons and “advancing plots” against Israeli interests on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

Israel launched a wide-scale assault on Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, that escalated into a full-scale war by Sept. 23, 2024. The conflict has killed more than 4,000 people, wounded over 17,000, and displaced nearly 1.4 million, according to official data.

Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah’s activities despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was reached in November. The truce ended months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 225 people and injuries to more than 500, since the agreement was signed.

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 Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.