UPDATES WITH DETAILS
By Yakoota Al Ahmad, Iyad Nabolsi and Ikram Kouachi
ISTANBUL (AA) - An Israeli drone strike killed one person in southern Lebanon on Sunday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.
A ministry statement said the fatality occurred in the border town of Halta, without providing any details about the identity of the victim.
Israeli warplanes also launched an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday evening, shortly after the army issued an evacuation order for residents in the Hadath neighborhood, state news agency NNA reported.
Information on casualties was not immediately available.
Videos on social media showed a destroyed building engulfed in flames, with thick smoke and dust rising over the area.
President Michel Aoun condemned the attack, saying “the US and France, as guarantors of the ceasefire agreement, must take responsibility and force Israel to stop its attacks immediately,” according to a presidency statement.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in a separate statement affirmed that "Lebanon remains committed to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and the security arrangements agreement signed on November 27, 2023."
This resolution, adopted by the UN Security Council on Aug. 11, 2006, called for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel. It also called for the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, excluding the Lebanese army and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Sunday’s strike marked the third Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in a month.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November, ending 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 more than 2,765 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 194 victims and injuries to 486 others.
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.