UPDATES WITH ISRAELI ARMY STATEMENT
By Wassim Seifeddine, Ikram Kouachi and Rania Abu Shamala
BEIRUT/ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - A Lebanese civilian was killed Friday in an Israeli airstrike on the southern town of Braachit, while a local official from Dhayra was critically wounded by Israeli gunfire in a separate incident, in yet another breach of the ceasefire agreement.
In a statement, Lebanon’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center confirmed: “The Israeli enemy’s airstrike on a vehicle in the town of Braachit led to one martyr.”
Later, the Israeli army claimed in a statement that it “struck and eliminated the terrorist Ali Mohammad Hassan Qoutan, who served as the personnel officer for Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil sector.”
Separately, the Lebanese National News Agency reported that Bassam Sweid, a member of the Dhayra town council in southern Lebanon, was shot twice by Israeli forces while en route to the town. He was transported to a hospital in the Tyre district in critical condition.
The agency said Israeli soldiers opened fire directly on Sweid, describing the incident as a dangerous violation of the current ceasefire.
In a related development, Israeli warplanes launched two airstrikes on separate areas in southern Lebanon on Friday. No casualties were reported in those attacks, according to the official news agency.
Cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon escalated into a full-scale war last September. A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have carried out near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah’s activities.
Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 260 people and injuries to 563.
Under the truce, 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.