By Rania Abu Shamala
ISTANBUL (AA) – Four people were injured on Friday evening in a new Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.
A statement by the ministry’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center said that the injuries occurred in the attack that targeted the town of Chaqra in Bint Jbeil district.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the strike.
Israel launched a wide-scale assault on Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, escalating into a full-scale war by Sept. 23, 2024. According to official data, the conflict has killed more than 4,000 people, wounded over 17,000, and displaced nearly 1.4 million.
Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target the Lebanese group Hezbollah’s activities despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was reached last November.
Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 215 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.