Shafaq News – Beirut (Updated at 20:03)

An Israeli drone strike on Monday targeted a vehicle on the road leading to Zibdin town in southern Lebanon, killing two people and wounding one, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

The Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed on X that the strike killed Hassan Ali Jamil Atwi, described as a senior operative in Hezbollah’s air defense unit. He said Atwi oversaw “reconstruction and rearmament efforts” within Hezbollah’s air defense division and maintained direct links with its leadership in Iran.

Separately, three Israeli air raids struck the mountains around Hermel in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa region, which the Israeli military said targeted Hezbollah’s Radwan Force positions. No casualties were immediately reported.

Despite a ceasefire agreement reached on November 27, 2024, Israel has continued carrying out drone and air raids in southern and eastern Lebanon and in Beirut’s southern suburbs, while maintaining positions at five locations inside Lebanese territory.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Israeli strikes since the truce began have killed at least 103 civilians, many of them in residential areas and locations near UN peacekeeping forces. However, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reports that the death toll has surpassed 280, with 625 injuries.