UPDATE 2 - 2 killed in Israeli airstrike in northeastern Lebanon despite ceasefire

ADDS DETAILS

By Naim Berjawi and Rania Abu Shamala

BEIRUT (AA) - Two people were killed Thursday in a new Israeli airstrike in northwestern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement in place, said media reports.

An Israeli warplane fired three missiles into a small truck in the Ad-Doura neighborhood in Hermel city, according to witnesses.

The state news agency, NNA, said two victims were killed in the attack, without providing details about their identities.

A similar attack targeted a car in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, killing one person, whom the Israeli army said was a member of the Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah.

In a separate attack, the army said it struck a Hezbollah observation post in the Aynata area in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon.

There was no comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli claim.

An Israeli drone targeted the area near the tomb of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon, causing property damage, said NNA.

Israel killed Safieddine in an Oct. 3 airstrike on the Harat Hreik area in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The attack Thursday came in violation of a ceasefire agreement that has been in place since Nov. 27, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated into a full-scale conflict last September.

Lebanese authorities have reported more than 1,000 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the deaths of at least 83 victims and injuries to 280 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.