BEIRUT: An Israeli airstrike has killed at least four people in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said, further straining a nearly year-long truce with Hezbollah.
In a statement, the ministry said the strike in the town of Kfarsir, located in the Nabatieh district, also injured three people.
According to the state-run Lebanon News Agency, the attack involved a guided missile targeting a car around 2:15 pm local time on Saturday.
The strike came a day after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Israel of escalating attacks in response to his proposal for negotiations aimed at securing a more lasting end to cross-border hostilities.
The conflict began in 2023 when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza, following the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
After more than a year of fighting, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024.
Despite the truce, Israel has maintained a military presence in five areas of southern Lebanon and carried out near-daily airstrikes, repeatedly violating the ceasefire.
While Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah, the attacks have also killed civilians, first responders, and journalists.
According to the United Nations, at least 111 civilians in Lebanon have been killed by Israeli forces since the ceasefire took effect.
President Joseph Aoun, who called for negotiations with Israel in mid-October following a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump, said his proposed talks aim to “end the Israeli occupation.”
For its part, Israel has claimed Lebanon’s government has not upheld its side of the ceasefire by failing to constrain and disarm Hezbollah.
Israel’s military said the operation was meant to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure, saying that soldiers had opened fire in response to an “immediate threat”. They did not provide further details or evidence behind the killing.
