BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

Four people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, marking a new violation of a ceasefire deal in effect since late 2024, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said three people, including a 3-year-old child, lost their lives in a strike targeting a vehicle in Yanooh town in the Tyre district.

Another civilian was shot dead by Israeli fire in the town of Aita al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district, the ministry added.

The state-run National News Agency also reported that two other individuals were targeted with sound bombs from an Israeli drone as they were in the Aita al-Shaab cemetery. No injuries were reported.

Local media also reported the abduction of a Lebanese citizen by Israeli forces from his home in the country’s south.

In a statement, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that he had tasked Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji with taking immediate action and following up on the case with the United Nations.

Israeli violations of the November 2024 ceasefire have killed and wounded hundreds of Lebanese, while Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, in addition to other Lebanese areas it has held for decades.

Israel began military operations against Lebanon in October 2023 and escalated them into a full-scale war in September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and wounding about 17,000 others.

Lebanese officials have repeatedly called for pressure on Tel Aviv to halt its attacks and abide by the ceasefire terms, while Hezbollah has affirmed on more than one occasion its commitment to the truce, calling for withdrawal from the areas occupied by Israel during the last war.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Rania Abushamala