A car struck by an Israeli drone in the Saida district of southern Lebanon, on May 17, 2025. (Credit: Mountasser Abdallah.)
Israeli army announced on Saturday that it had killed a Hezbollah "commander" in southern Lebanon, in its fourth deadly strike in the neighboring country this week.
Despite a cease-fire reached over five months ago after two months of open war with Hezbollah, Israel continues to carry out regular strikes in Lebanon, particularly in the south of the country along its northern border.
In a statement, the Israeli army said it had "struck and eliminated, in the Mazraat Jemjim area of Lebanon, a Hezbollah commander ... involved in the reconstruction of Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure" in the area.
"The reconstruction of such terrorist infrastructure, as well as related activities, constitutes a blatant violation of the agreements concluded between Israel and Lebanon," the army added.
Lebanese Health Ministry reported one death from a drone strike on a vehicle in the same region, near Sour, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
At the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah opened a front against Israel by launching rockets from southern Lebanon, claiming to act in support of Hamas, its ally.
Hostilities escalated into open warfare, with Israel carrying out heavy bombardments on Lebanon between September and November 2024, mainly targeting Hezbollah strongholds, leaving the group significantly weakened by the conflict.
Despite the cease-fire that came into effect on November 27, the Israeli army continues to bomb Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, and has maintained five positions in southern Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah held a funeral on Saturday in the village of Arnoun for Mohammad Marouni, who was killed on Thursday in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a crane on the road connecting Arnoun to Yohmor, in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon.
Several incidents occurred on Saturday morning. Israeli artillery fired two white phosphorus shells on the town of Markaba in the Marjayoun district, causing fires, and a drone dropped a stun grenade over several fishermen in the town of Naqoura (Sour district), according to our correspondent.
Shortly after 2 p.m., an Israeli drone, for the second time that day, dropped a stun bomb on the village of Naqoura, as well as several bombs on the road in the village of Markaba (Sour district).
Israeli drones also targeted a prefab house and a stone-cutting workshop in Yarine (Bint Jbeil), as well as an agricultural tractor in Dhayra (Sour). Around 3 a.m., a hangar that had previously been bombed was struck again in Aita al-Shaab, also in the Bint Jbeil district.
These strikes come as the Israeli army announced overnight from Friday to Saturday the beginning of the “intensification” of its offensive on Gaza, called “Chariots of Gideon,” aimed at conquering and occupying the territory — coinciding with the 34th Arab League summit being held in Baghdad.
