BEIRUT, Lebanon / ISTANBUL

Israeli army soldiers crossed the border into southern Lebanon on Sunday, marking a new violation of a ceasefire agreement in place since November 2024, local media reported.

The state-run National News Agency said two Israeli military vehicles stopped at the southern border, with several soldiers crossing the UN-demarcated Blue Line, a de facto border, into the area of Darb al-Hawrat, southeast of the town of Mays al-Jabal, before withdrawing to the other side of the border.

In a separate development, an Israeli drone crashed near the town of Houla in southern Lebanon, with no further details given.

Israeli ceasefire violations have killed and wounded hundreds of Lebanese, while Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, in addition to other Lebanese areas it has held for decades.

Israel began military operations against Lebanon in October 2023 against the backdrop of the Gaza war and escalated them into a full-scale war in September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and wounding about 17,000 others.

Lebanese officials have repeatedly called for pressure on Tel Aviv to halt its attacks and abide by the ceasefire, while Hezbollah has affirmed on more than one occasion its commitment to the truce, calling for withdrawal from the areas occupied by Israel during the last war.

Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul