Israel claims it killed 2 Hezbollah members in strikes on Mais al-Jabal

Israeli strikes resulted in two deaths on Thursday, May 1, in Mais al-Jabal, a locality in the district of Marjayoun, which was targeted twice, less than a week after the bombing of the southern suburbs of Beirut for the third time since Nov. 27, 2024, the date when the truce with Hezbollah came into effect. The Israeli army claims to have killed two members of the party in these attacks, including a fighter from its elite unit al-Radwan.

An Israeli drone first targeted a van collecting scrap metal between Mais al-Jabal and Blida, a village in the same district. This strike killed a Lebanese national and lightly injured two Syrian workers, according to reports from our correspondent in the South, Mountasser Abdallah.

Shortly after, a second Israeli drone strike once again targeted Birkat Mais al-Jabal, aiming at another van and killing a member of the Civil Defense, Oussama Farhat, whose death was announced by the locality, reports our correspondent. The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed the deaths of the two victims.

The Israeli army claimed both strikes in a message published by its Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on X, asserting that the first strike killed a member of the al-Radwan force and the second an "agent" of Hezbollah "who was operating in the same area and gathering intelligence on behalf of the party." The party has not responded.

Additionally, the Israeli artillery fired a shell towards goat herders on the outskirts of the locality of Shebaa, in the Hasbaya district. By late afternoon, another Israeli drone dropped three stun grenades towards houses in the Sawwan neighborhood, in the locality of Houla (Marjayoun). No injuries were reported in these two incidents.

Despite the cease-fire, the Israeli army continues its strikes in Lebanon, mainly in the South and the Bekaa. Israeli attacks since the truce, including bombings and shellings, have resulted in 152 deaths, according to our count. The U.N. had, for its part, declared on April 15 that the Israeli army had killed at least 71 civilians in Lebanon.

The Israeli troops continue to occupy at least five positions they deem "strategic" in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah. On Wednesday, the Lebanese Army announced that it had completed the dismantling of "more than 90 percent" of Hezbollah's military infrastructure in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel. "We have completed the dismantling of more than 90 percent of Hezbollah's infrastructure south of the Litani River," located about 30 km from the Israeli border, stated a security official on condition of anonymity to AFP.