5 hurt in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon as cease-fire violations continue

By Yusuf Alioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) – Five people were injured in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Aitaroun in Lebanon's Nabatieh Governorate on Thursday, as Israeli forces continue to violate the cease-fire agreement signed with Beirut last week.

The Israeli army onslaught on the town of Aitaroun in the Bint Jbeil district has injured five people, Lebanon's National News Agency reported, without specifying the severity of the injuries.

According to an Anadolu tally based on announcements from Lebanon's official news agency, the Israeli army violated the cease-fire agreement with Lebanon eight times on Thursday, bringing the total number of breaches since the deal went into effect eight days ago to 137.

The deal came into force Nov. 27 in hopes of ending 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. It is, however, described as fragile, as countless violations were documented by Lebanon.

Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel is to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line de facto border in a phased manner while the Lebanese army deploys its forces in southern Lebanon within a maximum of 60 days.

Implementation is to be overseen by the US and France, but details on enforcement mechanisms remain unclear.

More than 4,000 people have been killed and over 16,500 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, in addition to an excess of 1 million displaced since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala