UPDATE - 2 killed in Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, ADDS ISRAELI CONFIRMATION, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Yakoota Al Ahmad and Ikram Kouachi

ISTANBUL (AA) – Two people were killed and another injured in Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.

A statement by the ministry’s emergency operations center said an attack targeted a car in the town of Yater in Bint Jbeil district, killing one person and injuring another.

The state news agency NNA said a drone fired a missile after midnight into an X5 SUV in the town, causing the casualties.

No information was yet available about the occupants of the vehicle.

In another attack, an Israeli drone strike killed one person after targeting a vehicle in the town of Mays al-Jabal in Marjayoun district, NNA reported.

This marked the third such attack in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours.

The Israeli army claimed in a statement that the strikes had “eliminated two Hezbollah operatives engaged in reconnaissance activities and coordinating attacks” in Yater and Mays al-Jabal.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November 2024, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 1,100 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 87 victims and injuries to more than 280.

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.