UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM ISRAELI ARMY, REVISES BACKGROUNDS, MINOR EDITS
By Wassim Samih Seifeddine and Mohammad Sio
BEIRUT (AA) - One person was killed and two others were injured in fresh Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
An Israeli drone struck a vehicle in the town of Aita al-Shaab, leaving one person dead, the ministry said in a statement.
Two more people were injured when Israeli forces opened fire in the town of Wazzani in Hasbaiyya district, it added.
The Israeli army said that that it killed a “Hezbollah operative” in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.
“An Air Force aircraft operated to remove a threat with a strike on a Hezbollah operative identified handling weaponry in the area of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon,” a military statement said.
The state news agency NNA also said that Israeli forces conducted a sweep in the town of Shebaa and Israeli drones flew at low altitudes over several areas in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army also fired stun grenades at a group of civilians in the town of Kfarkela, southern Lebanon.
Additionally, Israeli forces conducted sweep from Tallat El Hamames using machine guns, further heightening tensions along the border.
Meanwhile, an Israeli bulldozer raised a new earthen embankment in the Khallat al-Mahafir area, near the Odaisseh town square.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanese towns but maintained a military presence at five border outposts.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since Nov. 27, ending months of mutual shelling between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated into a full-scale conflict last September.
Despite this, Israel has violated the agreement nearly 1,000 times, killing at least 79 people and injuring 276, according to an Anadolu tally based on official Lebanese data.
The Israeli army had withdrawn on Tuesday from the villages and towns it occupied in southern Lebanon during the recent war. However, Israeli forces remain stationed at five points along the border inside Lebanese territory.
Israel was initially expected to complete its full withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, in line with the ceasefire agreement, but requested an extension until Feb. 18.
Israel launched its military campaign against Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, escalating into full-scale war on Sept. 23. The conflict has resulted in 4,109 deaths and 16,899 injuries, including many women and children, and has displaced approximately 1.4 million people.