Israeli drones target southern Lebanon

By Wassim Seifeddine and Mohammad Sio

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli drones targeted a southern Lebanese town and breached Lebanon’s airspace over the Bekaa Valley and the capital Beirut on Monday, violating a ceasefire agreement, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.

An Israeli drone carried out an airstrike on an open area near the Jamil Awada station in the town of Aitaroun at noon, NNA reported, adding it caused no casualties.

The agency said three Israeli drones also flew at low altitudes over Beirut and its southern suburbs.

Separately, Israeli warplanes circled at low altitude above several villages in the southern district of Tyre and over the Mediterranean Sea. Additional fighter jets were reported flying over the eastern city of Hermel, the NNA added.

A fragile ceasefire has 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 in September.

Lebanese authorities have reported more than 2,766 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 195 people and injuries to 486 others.

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