Israeli strike in Lebanon kills five, including three minors
Israel launches frequent strikes inside parts of Lebanon, particularly the south, saying it is targeting Hezbollah [Getty]
At least five people were killed by an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on September 21st, The New Arab plus agencies reported.
The strike, which has been denounced by the Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, is the latest Israeli violation of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.
According to the state-run National News Agency, the attack occurred near Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon and was targeting a motorcycle.
The Bint Jbeil area, which is close to Lebanon’s border with Israel, has previously been targeted by Israeli airstrikes, with one of the worst occurring on October 23rd, 2024.
President Aoun condemned the September 21st massacre, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to respect the ceasefire.
In a statement on X, President Aoun said: “As we are in New York to discuss matters of peace and human rights, Israel continues its ongoing violations of international resolutions.”
He accused Israel of “committing a new massacre in Bint Jbeil, which claimed the lives of five martyrs, including three children”.
The president was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
“We call on the international community, whose leaders are present in the halls of the United Nations, to exert every effort to stop violations of international resolutions,” he added.
He also urged nations “to pressure Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory and abide by” the ceasefire agreement.
“The guarantor states of the ceasefire agreement should exercise the strongest pressure on Israel to immediately stop its aggressions, withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory and free detainees,” Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said.
The drone strike follows Israel’s attack on peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil); four grenades were dropped from a drone near Unifil personnel.
Israel’s army admitted on July 29th to conducting hundreds of ceasefire violations against Lebanon, stating it carried out around 500 strikes since the November ceasefire.
The ceasefire agreement was supposed to end hostilities between Israel and Lebanon; however, Israel frequently launches attacks against areas of Lebanon, particularly in southern Lebanon, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah.
Iran-backed Hezbollah was significantly weakened by the conflict with Israel, which led to more than two months of open warfare after a year of clashes.
On June 5th, Salam announced that more than 500 Hezbollah installations had been dismantled in southern Lebanon.
An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed a father and his son on June 10th, with Israel maintaining that it would continue attacking Lebanon unless Hezbollah was disarmed.
Israel has also killed Hezbollah commander, Yassin Abdel Moneim Ezzedine. On June 19th, three people were killed by Israeli strikes in south Lebanon.
Hezbollah has faced increased pressure to disarm, with the US having proposed that the group surrender its weapons in exchange for financial support and a halt to Israeli attacks.
The September 21st drone strike on Lebanon came just over one year after Israel’s deadly pager blasts on September 18th, 2024, which killed nine people, including a 10-year-old girl.
The New Arab plus plus agencies, National News Agency, Maghrebi.org
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