1 killed in Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

ISTANBUL

An Israeli drone strike killed one person in southern Lebanon on Sunday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said the fatality occurred in the border town of Halta, without providing any details about the identity of the victim.

Israeli warplanes also launched an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday evening, shortly after the army issued an evacuation order for residents in the Hadath neighborhood in the area, the state news agency NNA reported.

No information was yet available about casualties or injuries suffered in the strike.

Videos on social media showed a destroyed building engulfed in flames, with thick smoke and dust rising over the area.

Sunday’s strike marked the third Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in a month.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities have reported more than 2,765 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 194 victims and injuries to 486 others.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.