Israeli drone strike kills three in south Lebanon

Latest ceasefire violation one day after series of Israeli attacks on towns and villages

Flames rise from a vehicle after an Israeli drone attack in the town of Kfar Dajjal, in Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon, that killed three people. Photo: NNA

At least three people were killed in a drone strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, a day after the Israeli military carried out attacks across the area that it said were against Hezbollah targets.

The deaths were confirmed by Lebanon’s Health Ministry, which said an drone struck a car in Kfardjal in the Nabatieh district. Lebanese media reported the victims were a man who had run a money exchange in southern Beirut and was alleged to have financial ties to Hezbollah, and his two sons.

The Israeli military did not issue a statement on the attack – the latest in near-daily breaches of a US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel that took hold in November after 14 months of fighting.

On Monday, Israel launched a wave of air strikes on towns and villages north of the Litani river, which runs about 30km from the Lebanon-Israel border. The outskirts of Zrariyeh, Kfrar Melki, Mahmoudiyah, Al Hatta, Ansar, Al Bisariya and Al Wardiya were hit, causing fires but no casualties, Lebanon’s National News Agency said.

The Israeli military said it had struck “sites belonging to Hezbollah containing rocket and missile launchers, along with weapons storage facilities”, and added it would “continue to operate to remove any threat”.

Hezbollah has largely withdrawn its forces from south of the Litani as part of the terms of the truce, Lebanese authorities have told The National. The agreement requires the Lebanese government to dismantle all Hezbollah facilities, infrastructure and military positions “starting with the southern Litani area” within 60 days – but it did not set a timeline for dismantling the group’s positions north of the river.

Israel has continued its attacks on Hezbollah while also launching an aerial war against Iran, the group's patron. However, Hezbollah, now politically and militarily constrained after significant losses in its war with Israel, has not signalled any intent to support Tehran in the fight. “Iran can defend itself,” a Hezbollah official told The National last week.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed Israel's ceasefire violations at a press conference with his Qatar counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman in Doha.

“We’re working on extending the [Lebanese] state’s authority across its territory. There can be no stability in Lebanon without Israel’s full withdrawal, especially from the five points it is still occupying," he said.