Two dead and two injured in Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, on fourth day of ceasefire: Day 421 of the Gaza War

The Israeli army announced today that it conducted several attacks in Lebanon "due to breaches of the ceasefire conditions." According to the army's statement, its air force "targeted a vehicle transporting RPGs, rocket launchers, and armed individuals who had arrived at Hezbollah structures."

The death toll from the strike on Robb Thalathin (Marjayoun) has risen to two, according to our correspondent.

One person was killed and two others injured, including one in critical condition, in an Israeli drone strike targeting three young men in the town of Robb Thalathin, our correspondent in the south reported. This marks the first civilian casualty since the ceasefire came into effect on Nov. 27.

According to residents, the young men had returned to the town to check on their homes.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has criticized Netanyahu’s government, calling it “disconnected.”

“Reserves are collapsing, businesses in the north and south are collapsing, the cost of living is skyrocketing, and what is the government doing? Transferring hundreds of millions to coalition funds tomorrow,” he wrote on X.

“Instead of prioritizing the reconstruction of the south and the north, supporting reservists, and addressing the rising cost of living, this government continues to waste public money on political deals,” Lieberman added.

The Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, has prohibited residents of southern Lebanon, for the fourth consecutive day, from traveling south of the Litani River from 5 p.m. this afternoon until 7 a.m. tomorrow.

He also urged those currently in the area to stay indoors. "For your safety, you must follow the instructions below," he emphasized on X.  

The municipalities of Deir Mimas and Deir Siryan in southern Lebanon have called on residents to avoid entering their villages, on the fourth day of the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

“It is strictly prohibited to access all agricultural lands and olive groves in the village,” stated the municipality of Deir Mimas in a statement published in coordination with the Lebanese Army. It also emphasized that it is “strictly prohibited to bring or hire anyone from outside the village.” The statement added, “The municipality is in contact with security services and will coordinate with the Lebanese army and relevant authorities to ensure all measures are in place for your safe return.”

Similarly, the municipality of Deir Siryan stated, “Following threats from the [Israeli] enemy to prevent returning to villages near the border, including ours, and after contacting the concerned parties, we call on residents to evacuate the village to ensure their safety.”  

The strike on Tebna, between Baissariyeh and Kaakaiyeh al-Snoubar in the Saida district of southern Lebanon, injured one person, according to the Ministry of Health.

A second airstrike targeted Tebna, between Baissariyeh and Kaakaiyeh al-Snoubar, in the Saida district of southern Lebanon.

The strike hit an area close to the one targeted earlier in the day.  

Several members of the Lebanese Parliament conducted an inspection tour today of Beirut's southern suburbs, particularly the Haret Hreik area. Invited by elected municipal officials, they assessed the damage caused by Israeli bombardments, met with residents, and surveyed the extensive destruction.

Read more here.

The body of martyr paramedic Mohammad Madi, from the Islamic Health Society, was found under the rubble in the town of Qlaya, in the Bekaa, our correspondent in the region reported.

Medical sources in Gaza told Reuters that "seven were killed in an Israeli strike on a car in Khan Yunis."

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports a new death toll of at least 44,382 people in more than 13 months of war in the besieged enclave.

The toll includes 19 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 105,142 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israeli artillery fire targeted Naqoura, according to our correspondent.

"Earlier in the day, the Israeli army conducted a strike on a vehicle carrying a terrorist who participated in the bloody massacre of Oct. 7," stated the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X.

"The saboteur had been under long-term surveillance by intelligence services and was targeted based on credible real-time intelligence about his location," he added.

He also noted that the Israeli army was investigating claims regarding his work with World Central Kitchen.  

Photo provided by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah

An Israeli drone carried out a strike on Tebna, between Baissariyeh and Kaakaiyeh al-Snoubar, in the Saida district of southern Lebanon.

This area, located north of the Litani River, was targeted for the second time since the ceasefire.

The emergency center under the Ministry of Health announced that the Israeli strike on a car in Majdal Zoun, Sour district, injured three people, including a seven-year-old child.

The Israeli army announced that soldiers from the Nahal Brigade operating in Rafah killed a terrorist cell that had planted explosive barrels and bombs. The forces also discovered weapons near a hospital and a mosque in Rafah during searches conducted last week, according to Haaretz.

Israeli forces have arrested at least 16 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since yesterday, according to the Wafa news agency, citing prisoners’ groups.

The Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said the arrests occurred across the governorates of Qalqilya, Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarem and Jerusalem, Wafa reported.

The number of arrests by Israeli forces of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since Israel’s war on Gaza began has surpassed 11,900, the report said.

Syrian rebels burn a photo of Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo Province, Nov. 29, 2024. (Credit: Aaref Watad/AFP)

The ceasefire in Lebanon is sending shockwaves through the region.

Mounir Rabih explains more here.

Photo provided by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah

An Israeli tank and bulldozer entered neighborhoods in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), located two and a half kilometers from the Blue Line, taking advantage of the ceasefire to advance into areas they could not reach during the war.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry received a phone call today from his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to the Al-Markazia news agency.

The conversation focused on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, according to an official statement.

In southern Lebanon, Lebanese army vehicles are increasingly visible on the roads. This large-scale redeployment comes as part of the 60-day ceasefire agreement with Israel, which includes Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the border zone.

But can the Lebanese army, often criticized for its lack of resources and authority, truly fulfill this mission? And how do residents perceive this unprecedented deployment?

L'Orient-Le Jour report takes you to the heart of this fragile situation and explores the challenges it raises.

Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today

Children, accompanied by their relatives, walk among destroyed buildings in Tayr Debba, in the Sour district, on Nov. 29, 2024.

Gaza’s Civil Defense has mourned the killing of one of its members, Muhammad Zuhair al-Sharbasi.

The rescue service said he was killed in the ongoing Israeli bombing of residents’ homes in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

"A civilian vehicle belonging to World Central Kitchen (WCK) was targeted by an Israeli drone on Salah al-Din Street, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza," reported Al-Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abou Azzoum from Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip.

Five civilians were killed, including three WCK employees, with no prior warning. Among the victims was the director of the charity kitchens in Gaza.

"They were local Palestinians working for WCK and were targeted while trying to reach one of their operational sites," explained Abou Azzoum.

The Israeli army struck Hezbollah military infrastructure near border crossing points between Syria and Lebanon, which the army claimed were actively used by the group to transfer weapons.

"The strike occurred after Hezbollah's transfer of weapons from Syria to Lebanon was detected following the ceasefire agreement, posing a threat to the State of Israel and violating the agreement," said the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X.

The Israeli army claimed to have "discovered and seized" weapons stored in a mosque "used by Hezbollah agents" in southern Lebanon, according to the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X.

Soldiers also intervened to "disperse suspects" present in the South, he added.

Developments in southern Lebanon:

- An Israeli drone targeted a car parked by the roadside in Majdel Zoun (Sour), injuring people nearby.

- Four Israeli rockets struck Khiam (Marjayoun).

At dawn, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes targeting border posts north of Hermel, according to Bekaa correspondent Sarah Abdallah.

A precarious calm prevailed this morning in southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent in the region. However, several violations of the ceasefire were reported:

- 9:00 p.m.: Flares and gunfire targeted the outskirts of Bint Jbeil, near Maroun al-Ras. Gunfire was also heard from the Malikiyeh position toward Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).

- 10:00 p.m.: Israeli drones flew over villages in Sour. One drone fired two missiles on Wata al-Khiam. Flares were launched over the Khiam plain, extending to Hamames Hill. Another Israeli drone flew over Jabal al-Rihane, while others flew at low altitude over villages in Saida.

- 2:00 a.m.: An explosion was heard near Shaqra (Bint Jbeil), in the vicinity of Houla, according to residents. The cause of the detonation remains unknown.

Adraee also reported this morning that an Israeli navy vessel intercepted a drone launched from the east into the Mediterranean Sea.

Around 3:00 a.m., the Israeli Air Force intercepted another suspicious airborne target traveling from the east toward Israeli territory before it entered the country, Adraee added.

Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, issued a warning this morning, advising residents of South Lebanon not to visit several villages.

“You are prohibited, until further notice, from entering the following villages and their surroundings: Shebaa, Hebbarieh, Arnoun, Yohmor, Qantara, Shaqra, Baraashit, Yater and Mansouri,” Adraee posted on X.

A Hamas delegation is set to travel to Cairo today for discussions on a potential truce in the Gaza Strip after nearly 14 months of war, a senior Hamas official told AFP last night.

“A Hamas delegation will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ideas for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange agreement in the Gaza Strip,” the official said anonymously.

Good morning,

We begin live coverage of a significant day: the 421st day of the war in Gaza and the third day of a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. This comes after 14 months of cross-border strikes and over two months of an intensive Israeli military campaign in Lebanon.