ANKARA

At least one person was killed when an Israeli drone strike hit a vehicle in the southern Lebanese town of Kounine near Bint Jbeil on Saturday, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

In a statement from the Public Health Emergency Operations Center of Lebanon's Health Ministry quoted by the agency, authorities confirmed that the strike resulted in one fatality, according to an initial assessment.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army regarding the strike or its intended target.

Israel launched a wide-scale assault on Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, escalating into a full-scale war by Sept. 23, 2024. According to official data, the conflict has killed more than 4,000 people, wounded over 17,000, and displaced nearly 1.4 million.

Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target the Lebanese group Hezbollah’s activities despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon reached last November. The truce ended months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 208 people and injuries to more than 500 since the agreement was signed.

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 Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.