JERUSALEM: The Israeli military carried out an airstrike in southern Lebanon on Friday, killing two people near the border area amid ongoing tensions with Hezbollah despite a fragile ceasefire.
Israel and the Iran-backed group have continued exchanging fire in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire that was extended last week by Israeli and Lebanese authorities.
“A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of meters from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military posted on Telegram.
“Following their identification and continuous monitoring by the IDF, the armed individuals were struck and eliminated in an aerial strike,” the statement said.
Since a truce began on April 17, Israel has continued to launch strikes, carry out demolitions and issue evacuation orders in southern Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, which has also continued attacks.
Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel on March 2 in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
Israel responded with a large-scale wave of airstrikes and a ground invasion in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops are operating inside a self-declared “yellow line” extending around 10 kilometres inside Lebanese territory along the border.
Lebanon’s health ministry said on Thursday that Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people since the wider regional war began.
The Israeli military has reported the deaths of 22 personnel during the fighting.
Last week, the temporary ceasefire was extended for 45 days following a third round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington, negotiations that Hezbollah strongly opposes.
