3 killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

BEIRUT / ANKARA

Three people were killed, including two Syrian nationals, and several others injured Monday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, in the latest violation of a November ceasefire agreement.

A Lebanese civilian was killed in an Israeli drone strike, the Health Ministry said.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said the strike targeted a motorcycle repair shop in the town of Taybeh.

The Israeli army confirmed the attack, saying it targeted Hezbollah commander Muhammad Adnan Mansour.

The army claimed that Mansour was responsible for multiple rocket attacks on Israel’s Upper Galilee region during a recent conflict between the two sides.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli claim.

Separately, two Syrian nationals were killed and a Lebanese citizen wounded after an Israeli strike targeted a motorcycle on Dardara Road in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh province, according to NNA.

Earlier in the day, the Lebanese Health Ministry said an Israeli drone strike also injured a Lebanese citizen in the town of Beit Lif in Bint Jbeil district of the same province.

Monday’s attacks came one day after two civilians were killed in an airstrike on a bulldozer near Zibqin, a town in Tyre district of southern Lebanon.

A fragile ceasefire had 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 last September.

Lebanese authorities reported nearly 1,400 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including at least 120 fatalities and more than 366 injuries.

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 it refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.