Israeli strikes kill 2, wound 19 in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

• Israeli army says it targeted 4 border crossings on Syria-Lebanon border ‘used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons in the area of Hermel’

BEIRUT / ISTANBUL

At least two people were killed and 19 others wounded Wednesday, including journalists, in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, marking a new violation of a ceasefire agreement in effect since November 2024.

Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said an Israeli drone strike hit a car on the Zahrani-Msayleh road in the Zahrani district in the south, killing one person.

Another Israeli drone targeted a vehicle on the Bazouriyeh–Burj al-Shimali road in the Tyre district, leaving another civilian dead, the Health Ministry said.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed on the US social media company X that the attacks targeted two Hezbollah operatives in the Sidon area and in Burj al-Shimali.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government on the attacks.

The Israeli military carried out airstrikes on five villages in southern Lebanon after issuing immediate evacuation warnings, claiming it was targeting Hezbollah-linked sites, with no immediate casualties or damage reported.

The strikes hit buildings in Qanariyat, Kfour and Jirjua, an Anadolu correspondent reported.

Later, the correspondent reported additional strikes on two buildings in Ansar and Kharayeb after Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued evacuation alerts on US social media company X, accompanied by maps, citing alleged Hezbollah military infrastructure.

The villages are located north of the Litani River. The strikes came after Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the state has “practically” established control south of the Litani River for the first time since 1969.

Israeli air raids on Qanariyat wounded 19 people, including journalists, with two admitted to intensive care, three hospitalized and 14 treated in emergency rooms, said NNA, citing the Health Ministry.

In a separate attack, the Israeli army said in a statement it struck four border crossings on the Syria-Lebanon border “used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons in the area of Hermel.”

The army claimed it killed Muhammad Awasha, “a key Hezbollah weapons smuggler,” who advanced and oversaw weapon smuggling to Hezbollah, including using a front company that ordered and transferred prohibited goods from different countries, including Iraq, Syria and the Gulf states.

“Awasha operated many smugglers who are responsible for smuggling weapons from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon,” it added.

Israeli ceasefire violations have killed and wounded hundreds of Lebanese, while Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, in addition to other 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.

Beyond occupied Lebanese areas, Israel also occupies territory in Syria and Palestine and has rejected withdrawal and the establishment of a Palestinian state.