ISTANBUL 

Two people were killed and seven others injured on Saturday in separate Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon, in a new violation of the ceasefire declared in late 2024.

Two brothers were killed when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle near the town of Shebaa, the state news agency NNA reported.

The attack occurred on a road connecting Ain Ata town to Shebaa, along the western slopes of Mount Hermon, causing the vehicle to ignite, it added.

In another attack, seven people were injured when an Israeli drone struck a car in Bint Jbeil, the agency said, citing a Health Ministry statement.

The drone launched two guided missiles targeting the car near Salah Ghandour Hospital in the city of Nabatieh.

NNA also reported another Israeli strike on a car in the town of Bar’ashit, leaving an unspecified number of injuries.

The Israeli army claimed that the drone strike in Shebaa killed two members of the Hezbollah-linked Lebanese Resistance Brigades.

A military statement alleged that the two brothers were involved in smuggling weapons used by Hezbollah.

The strikes came amid heightened border tensions, as Israeli forces carried out a series of air raids Thursday on several southern towns after warning residents to evacuate, the broadest such evacuation order since the ceasefire took effect.

Tensions have been mounting in southern Lebanon for weeks, with the Israeli army intensifying near-daily air raids inside Lebanese territory on claims of targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure.

The Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.