UPDATE 2– 1 killed, others injured as Israeli airstrikes hit southern Lebanon

UPDATES WITH DETAILS, REVISES HEADLINE, DECK

By Wassim Saifuldine, Mohammad Sio and Rania Abu Shamala

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (AA) – One person was killed and others injured Wednesday when Israeli airstrikes struck towns in southern Lebanon, marking fresh violations of the ceasefire in place since late 2024.

A Health Ministry statement said a drone strike directly hit a motorcycle in the town of Touline in the Marjaayoun district, killing one person and injuring another.

In related incidents, another Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade near the town of Yaroun in the Bint Jbeil district, while two more stun grenades were dropped over Khiam in southern Lebanon, the state news agency NNA said.

The outlet reported Israeli strikes targeting a garage and bulldozers near residential homes in the town of Deir Siriane in Marjaayoun, injuring several people.

Israeli airstrikes were also reported on the northern outskirts of Deir Siriane, near the Litani River.

Israeli Channel 12 said that the attacks targeted what it called Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in southern Lebanon, without providing further details.

There was no comment from the Israeli military regarding the strikes.

Israel launched military operations in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target activities of the Hezbollah group.

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.