Southern Lebanon: Israeli strike kills three

An Israeli air strike has killed three people who were travelling in a vehicle near the coastal city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, as reported by The New Arab and agencies on December 22nd.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the vehicle was attacked by an Israeli drone around 10 kilometres (six miles) from Sidon, killing “three people who were inside.”

In a statement released by the Israeli military concerning the December 22nd attack, the army claimed to have “struck several Hezbollah terrorists in the area of Sidon.”

Israel has repeatedly conducted strikes in Lebanon, despite the November 2024 ceasefire, which sought to end hostilities between the countries.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was expected to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah was required to disarm and dismantle its military presence north of the Litani River.

However, Israel has maintained a military presence in five areas of southern Lebanon, and reportedly conducts raids on villages on an almost daily basis.

Strikes are justified by Israel as attacks on sites used by Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group which claims it has “a legitimate right to resist Israeli occupation” amid escalating Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon.

In August, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement proclaiming that Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon would only happen if Hezbollah was completely disarmed.

Hezbollah has increasingly faced pressure to disarm, particularly from the US; the group’s leader, Naim Qassem, confirmed in November that Hezbollah would not relinquish its weapons.

Against the backdrop of Qassem’s announcement, the Israeli military conducted airstrikes targeting a “weapons storage facility and underground infrastructure used by Hezbollah.”

Israel has also carried out killings of Hezbollah members, such as on November 23rd, when a strike killed Haytham Ali Tabtabai, who was the group’s top military commander.

Despite these attacks, Hezbollah has reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the ceasefire with Israel, with an unnamed official suggesting that the group would not respond to assassinations militarily.

Attempts by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah have been met with resistance, with the group citing Israel’s continued presence in the country’s south as a justification to keep its weapons.

In July, the Israeli army admitted to violating the ceasefire agreement on hundreds of occasions since November 2024, with around 500 strikes being launched since the deal came into effect.

Following an Israeli strike that killed a municipal worker, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun ordered on October 30th that Lebanon’s armed forces retaliate against any incursions from the Israeli military.

The New Arab and agencies, Maghrebi.org