1 killed in Israeli airstrike on vehicle in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

ISTANBUL

A person was killed Saturday in an Israeli drone strike that targeted an excavator in Tyre district of southern Lebanon, marking the latest violation of the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Tel Aviv.

An Israeli drone fired two missiles at the excavator along the Kfardounin-Deir Kifa route, Lebanon’s National News Agency NNA said.

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.