Israeli attacks kill two people in southern Lebanon

Drone strike and gunfire blamed for civilian deaths in area that remains at risk despite ceasefire

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At least two people have been killed in a wave of Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, the country's National News Agency has reported.

A drone strike killed a civilian while he was pumping water, local authorities said, and Israeli gunfire in the border town of Kfar Kila killed another civilian.

The casualties late on Thursday night underscore a deeply unstable situation in south Lebanon, where daily attacks continue to be carried out despite the ceasefire Israel agreed with Hezbollah in November.

Mahmoud Atwi was fixing a well that provided several neighbourhoods with water in Nabatiye El Faouqa when he was attacked, according to the municipality’s mayor, Zein Ghandour. He said Mr Atwi was employed by the municipality and was killed while carrying out his work.

The Israeli army claimed it struck “a Hezbollah terrorist”, alleging he was working to restore a site used to manage the group's “fire and defence array”.

The military later said it hit “several military sites throughout Lebanon” belonging to Hezbollah, accusing the group of trying to reestablish its weaponry there. It did not immediately comment on the shooting in Kfar Kila.

Israeli troops continue to occupy five areas of Lebanese territory, despite the ceasefire agreement which mandates their withdrawal.

Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire more than 3,000 times. Vast swathes of south Lebanon lie in ruins from the bombardment, which has continued since last year.

A low-level border conflict with Hezbollah, which broke out in parallel to Israel's war with Hamas, erupted in September when Israel invaded, killing more than 4,000 people. Many Hezbollah leaders were among them and large parts of the country were left in ruins.