UPDATE – Lebanese civilian killed in Israeli drone strike despite ceasefire

UPDATES WITH ISRAELI CONFIRMATION

By Wassim Seif El Din, Ahmed Asmar, and Rania Abu Shamala

BEIRUT / ANKARA (AA) – A Lebanese civilian was killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Monday, in the latest violation of a November ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.

The state news agency NNA said the strike targeted a motorcycle repair shop in the town of Taybeh.

The Israeli army confirmed the attack, saying it targeted Hezbollah commander Mohammad Adnan Mansour.

The army claimed that Mansour was responsible for multiple rocket attacks on Israel’s Upper Galilee during a recent conflict between the two sides.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli claim.

Monday’s attack came one day after two civilians were killed in an airstrike on a bulldozer near Zibqin, a town in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon.

A fragile ceasefire had 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 last September.

Lebanese authorities reported nearly 1,400 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including at least 120 fatalities and more than 366 injuries.

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