UPDATE - 2 killed in fresh Israeli attack on Tyre, southern Lebanon

UPDATES WITH 1 MORE KILLED

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a motorcycle in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon on Saturday.

The motorcycle was targeted on the main road in the Mahrouna municipality, according to the National News Agency.

In a statement, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, “the death toll from the Israeli enemy’s airstrike on the town of Mahrouna has risen to two people, following the death of a wounded woman from her severe injuries.”

Earlier, the Lebanese news agency reported that two people, a man and his wife, were injured when their car crashed into a concrete barrier at the time of 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 reached last November. The truce ended months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 224 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.