UPDATE - 2 killed in Israeli drone strikes in Lebanon despite ceasefire

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By Betul Yilmaz and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Two people were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern and southern Lebanon on Monday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said the fatalities were reported in strikes targeting Sahmar in eastern Lebanon and another near Nabatieh in the south.

The state news agency NNA said an Israeli drone struck an excavator in the Al-Shamsiyah area in the Beqaa Valley of eastern Lebanon, killing its driver.

Another drone fired a guided missile at a water tanker on the road near Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, leaving one person dead.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the attack.

A ceasefire was reached in November 2024 following a year-long cycle of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel that began in October 2023. The conflict escalated into a full-scale Israeli offensive by

September 2024, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths and around 17,000 injuries.

Under the terms of the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 2025. However, it has so far only partially pulled out troops and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.