Israeli drone strike kills three in south Lebanon

Shafaq News- Beirut (Updated at 17:41)

Two Israeli drone strikes killed six people and wounded two others in Lebanon's southern Nabatieh district on Thursday, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

The first strike hit a vehicle near the town of Zawtar, killing three, while a second struck a car in Maifadoun, killing three more and injuring one.

Another strike killed two people yesterday after targeting a vehicle in Nabatieh. The Israeli military said it had targeted two armed Hezbollah members near Ali al-Taher hill, alleging they posed a threat to Israeli forces operating in what it describes as the security zone.

Israel maintains forces in parts of southern Lebanon under a self-declared buffer zone. The United States has backed a phased plan to establish pilot zones, designated areas where the Lebanese Armed Forces would assume exclusive control, before transferring additional territory to the Lebanese Army. Lebanon and Hezbollah reject any Israeli "freedom of action" and continue to demand a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc insisted that Israel must withdraw immediately and unconditionally from Lebanon, arguing that any conditions attached to its withdrawal would undermine Lebanon's sovereignty.

Lebanon's Health Ministry put the overall toll from Israeli operations since March 2 at 4,230killed and 12,179 wounded. The Israeli army has recorded 30 soldiers killed and dozens wounded on its side over the same period.