An Israeli drone strike on a car in Ayn al-Mizrab, north of Bint Jbeil, killed two people, Lebanese authorities said. Israel says it targeted a Hezbollah member for breaching the November 2024 ceasefire. Since that ceasefire, more than 300 people — including at least 127 civilians — have been killed in Lebanon. Lebanon’s government will meet to review army progress on disarming Hezbollah, a plan the group has rejected.
Israeli Drone Strike Kills Two Near Bint Jbeil as Tensions Over Hezbollah Persist
Parts of southern Lebanon have been destroyed by Israeli attacks, both during the war between the group and Hezbollah, which ended with a ceasefire in November 2024, and subsequent Israeli attacks [File: Jalaa Marey/AFP]
An Israeli drone strike destroyed a vehicle and killed two people on Sunday in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.
The attack occurred in the Ayn al-Mizrab area north of the town of Bint Jbeil, Al Jazeera’s Ihab al-Aqdi reported from Lebanon. The targeted car was obliterated and nearby buildings sustained damage, according to reporters on the scene.
The Israeli military said the operation targeted a Hezbollah member and accused the group of violating a ceasefire that came into effect in November 2024.
Aftermath and Wider Context
Despite the ceasefire that ended a yearlong conflict in late 2024, Israel has continued to carry out strikes inside Lebanon and still occupies five sites on the Lebanese side of the border. According to compiled tallies, Israeli attacks since the November 2024 ceasefire have killed more than 300 people in Lebanon, including at least 127 civilians.
Israel, backed by the United States, has demanded Hezbollah disarm. The Lebanese government and army face a difficult balancing act: they must try to satisfy Israeli and U.S. demands while avoiding a direct military confrontation with Hezbollah, which remains a potent force despite suffering losses to Israeli operations.
The losses to Hezbollah cited by some reports included the death of its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an Israeli strike on Beirut in September 2024.
Political and Diplomatic Developments
Lebanon’s government is due to meet on Tuesday to assess the army’s progress in disarming Hezbollah, starting in southern Lebanon. Beirut had previously set a deadline for completing the southern phase of disarmament by the end of 2025 before extending the process to the rest of the country. Hezbollah has dismissed that plan.
A ceasefire monitoring committee — including representatives and peacekeepers from Lebanon, Israel, France, the United States and the United Nations — is also scheduled to meet in the coming week to review compliance and recent incidents.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Lebanon’s disarmament efforts were “far from sufficient” and accused Hezbollah of seeking to rearm “with Iranian support.”
The situation remains volatile: local residents and humanitarian groups have expressed concern over civilian safety as strikes and clashes continue to affect populated areas near the border.
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