Twenty-four people were injured in two Israeli drone attacks on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Tuesday.
Twenty people were injured in an Israeli attack on the market town of Nabatiyeh, while another four people were wounded when the village of Zawter was hit, the ministry said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that “an IAF aircraft struck a Hezbollah truck and an additional vehicle that transferred weapons in the area of Chaqif and Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.”
The truck and the second vehicle were struck after being monitored by the Israeli military “at the time of the transfer of the weapons,” it said.
“The IDF is determined to continue to operate in accordance with the understanding between Israel and Lebanon, despite Hezbollah’s attempts to return to southern Lebanon, and will operate against any threat posed to the state of Israel and its citizens,” the military added.
The attacks came after the White House announced on Sunday that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah militia reached in November had been extended until February 18.
Under the agreement, the Lebanese army is tasked with securing the southern part of the country.
Hezbollah meanwhile is required to retreat north of the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometres from the southern border.
According to an eyewitness, a loud explosion was heard in Nabatiyeh, which lies north of the Litani River.
The Hezbollah-run Al Manar television channel said the strike hit the Al-Deir neighbourhood in upper Nabatiyeh.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati strongly condemned the two Israeli raids.
“This aggression constitutes an additional violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a blatant breach of the ceasefire arrangement and the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” said Mikati.
He added that he contacted the head of the ceasefire monitoring committee, US General Jasper Jeffers, demanding a firm stance to ensure Israel implements its obligations under international law.
Tensions were once again on the rise at the border between Lebanon and Israel after a deadline expired on Sunday for Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanon as part of the deal.
Also on Tuesday, the Lebanese army command said that Israeli troops had opened fire on army personnel and citizens on the Yaroun-Maroun al-Ras road, injuring one soldier and three citizens.
The incident took place while the army was escorting residents returning to the southern border towns, it said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mikati said Israel had freed nine Lebanese prisoners which were detained during the war in southern Lebanon.
The premier thanked the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) and called on it to work for the release of the nine remaining detainees.
A source close to the Hezbollah movement said that seven of the group’s fighters had been taken prisoners by Israeli troops during the war on Lebanon.
