An Israeli strike on a vehicle in the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab has eliminated Hezbollah operative Hassan Naamah al-Zain.
BEIRUT – Lebanon’s health ministry said one person was killed on March 23 in an Israeli drone strike, a day after the most intense escalation since a November ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah.
“The Israeli enemy raid with a drone on a car in Aita al-Shaab led to the death of one citizen,” the health ministry said after the official National News Agency (NNA) had reported the strike on the southern village.
The Israeli military later said in a statement it had “attacked and eliminated” a Hezbollah member “in the area of Aita al-Shaab”.
NNA also reported separate Israeli strikes on March 23 on Naqurah, Shihin, and Labbouneh in the south near the Israeli border.
March 22 saw the most intense escalation since a November ceasefire halted the war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The Lebanese health ministry said seven people were killed on March 22, including in an attack on Tyre that a security source told AFP targeted a Hezbollah official.
Israel claimed that the strikes were “a response to rocket fire towards Israel”.
Hezbollah denied any involvement in the rocket fire, and called Israel’s accusations “pretexts for its continued attacks on Lebanon”.
Israel says Hezbollah still has military infrastructure in the south. Lebanon and Hezbollah say Israel is occupying Lebanese land by continuing to carry out some airstrikes and keeping its troops at five hilltop positions near the frontier.
According to UN resolution 1701 Hezbollah should move north of the Litani River but all the recent violence is taking place south of the river. The resolution also states that only the Lebanese army is entitled to bear weapons which implies that Hezbollah should hand over its arms to the Lebanese army but so far it continues to stress that it will remain a resistance movement. According to analysts Hezbollah’s main goal is to increase Iran’s influence in the region at Lebanon’s expense.
The Shiite community suffered the most from the 2006 and 2023 wars between Hezbollah and Israel.
On March 23, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the Israeli strikes as “extensive military aggression” and slammed the country as “a real threat to international peace and security”.
Strait Times/ News Agencies