Two dead as Israel attacks Hezbollah sites, again
Beirut: The Israeli military said on Friday it struck several Hezbollah targets overnight in the Bekaa Valley and along the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The army said the targets include a facility used for underground weapons development and another associated with the smuggling of arms into Lebanon.
According to reports, that at least two people were killed in the attack.
On Thursday, Israel said it intercepted a surveillance drone launched by Hezbollah calling it “a breach of the ceasefire agreement” between Israel and Lebanon.
Hezbollah and Israel reached a ceasefire in late November, ending a deadly conflict that began with the Gaza war in 2023. The US confirmed on Sunday that the agreement, which includes a 60-day period for Israeli troop withdrawal, will remain in effect until Feb. 18, extending the original Jan. 26 deadline.
Israel has carried out multiple strikes on Lebanese territory since the ceasefire extension killing and injuring more than 100 people.
Hezbollah official Ibrahim Moussawi condemned the air raids, calling them “a very dangerous violation and a blatant and explicit aggression”, calling on Lebanon to halt Israel’s continued attacks.
Israel was supposed to complete its army’s withdrawal from Lebanon by January 26 under a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah agreed last November. However, it refused to do so and the deadline was then extended to February 18.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, the Lebanese army is to deploy in the south as Hezbollah pulls its forces back north of the Litani River, some 30km (20 miles) from the border. Israel made clear it had no intention of meeting the deadline, claiming that the Lebanese army had not fulfilled its side of the bargain.
In the two months from November 27 to Monday, Israel killed at least 83 people in Lebanon, according to data obtained from Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. At least 228 were also injured as displaced residents tried to return to villages where Israeli soldiers remain stationed.
