UPDATE - Israel injures 14 in airstrike on southern Lebanon despite ceasefire
Israeli army hits town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, says Health Ministry
ADDS INJURY TOLL, ISRAELI ARMY STATEMENT, DETAILS, EDITS THROUGH
By Zein Khalil and Rania Abu Shamala
BEIRUT (AA) - At least 14 people were injured Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a town in southern Lebanon, marking another violation of a ceasefire agreement.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said in an updated report that "the Israeli enemy's airstrike on (the town of) Nabatiyeh resulted in 14 people being injured."
"An Israeli enemy drone carried out a guided missile strike targeting a pickup truck on the road near Al-Rawdat School in Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa,” Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.
"The strike destroyed the vehicle and injured three citizens who happened to be passing through the area, in addition to burning parked cars on the street," it added.
The explosion from the missile echoed across nearby areas, it noted.
"The Israeli enemy is targeting civilians and peaceful residents in their homes," the agency quoted the mayor of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, Yasser Ghandour, as saying.
“The hostile drone targeted a pickup truck used for transporting vegetables on the main road of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa," he added, denying that anyone specifically was targeted.
Later, the agency reported that "the hostile drone renewed its aerial aggression, targeting the vicinity of the Al-Farah resthouse on Zawtar-Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa Road with a guided missile."
It added that this "is the second strike in less than an hour, following the strike on the pickup truck in Nabatiyeh, at a distance of less than 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) from the first strike."
Earlier, National News Agency reported that “an explosion was heard in the town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa and flames were seen rising at the site."
The Israeli army acknowledged breaching the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, claiming that it targeted two vehicles belonging to the Hezbollah group in the southern regions of Chaqif and Nabatiyeh.
A military statement said the Israeli Air Force “struck a Hezbollah truck and an additional vehicle that transferred weapons in the area of Chaqif and Nabatieh in southern Lebanon in order to eliminate the threat.”
The military further claimed that the truck and vehicle were targeted after being monitored while transporting arms.
Despite repeated violations of the ceasefire, the Israeli army asserted that it is “determined to continue to operate in accordance with the understanding between Israel and Lebanon and will operate against any threat posed to the state of Israel and its citizens.”
Hezbollah has not issued any comments regarding the Israeli military's statement.
Tensions have escalated as the Israeli army remained in the Lebanese territory after a 60-day deadline for its withdrawal from southern Lebanon passed on Sunday under a ceasefire agreement.
The US, however, said that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to an extension of the deadline for the Israeli withdrawal until Feb. 18.
At least 26 people have been killed and 16 injured by Israeli gunfire since Sunday as residents try to return to their villages in southern Lebanon, according to local health authorities.
A fragile cease-fire has been in place since Nov. 27, ending a period of mutual shelling between Israel and Hezbollah that began on Oct. 8, 2023 and escalated into a full-scale conflict on Sept. 23 last year.
Data from the Lebanese Health Ministry indicates that since Israel’s onslaught against Lebanon began on Oct. 8, 2023, at least 4,080 people have been killed, including women, children and health workers, while 16,753 have been injured.
Kaynak:
This news has been read 37 times in total
Türkçe karakter kullanılmayan ve büyük harflerle yazılmış yorumlar onaylanmamaktadır.