Vehicle targeted by an Israeli strike on May 18, 2025, in Beit Yahoun (Bint Jbeil district). (Credit: Photo provided by our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah.)
BEIRUT — An Israeli drone targeted a van near a Lebanese Army post in Beit Yahoun, in the Bint Jbeil district, on Sunday, injuring two people, including a soldier and the van's driver, a municipal source told L'Orient Today’s regional correspondent.
The Lebanese Army said the soldier was “moderately injured” in the attack.
The municipal source, speaking to the correspondent, said the driver was injured by missile fragments after the missile exploded near the vehicle, but the van was not directly hit.
Beit Yahoun is located about eight kilometers from the Israeli border.
In a separate incident, machine-gun fire from the Israeli town of Metulla targeted a van in Kfar Kila (Marjayoun); no injuries were reported. Later in the evening, the Israeli army fired flares over Shebaa (Hasbaya), sparking fires in the region.
Earlier Sunday, the correspondent reported that the Israeli army conducted a search in Jidar, southeast of the village of Mais al-Jabal in the Marjayoun district. Israeli fighter jets also flew over southern Lebanon, and drones were seen over Saida and nearby villages throughout the morning.
Local media reported Israeli drones flew over Beirut and its southern suburbs as well.
Around 4 a.m. on Saturday, Israeli drones flew at low altitude over the regions of Iqlim al-Touffah, Nabatieh, Deir Zahrani, Zefta, Nmairieh, and Doueir, the correspondent reported.
After 1 a.m. on the night from Saturday to Sunday, Israeli machine gun fire scoured the outskirts of the Khiam plain from its position on al-Hamamas Hill, south of Khiam in the Marjayoun district.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health also reported two injured, including a soldier of the Lebanese Army, in an attack “by a hostile Israeli drone that targeted a vehicle.”
The Israeli army claimed it had struck a Hezbollah member in the Ainata (Bint Jbeil) “to eliminate a threat.” It said it was investigating reports of a Lebanese soldier being injured and asserted it does not target the Lebanese Army in its operations. However, since the cease-fire in Lebanon took effect, multiple Israeli attacks injured Lebanese soldiers, and the Lebanese Army has consistently issued statements saying that the Israeli occupation of Lebanese villages has hindered their deployment efforts.
At the beginning of the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Hezbollah opened a 'support' front for Gaza against Israel by firing rockets from southern Lebanon.
Hostilities escalated into open war, with Israel leading violent bombings on Lebanon between September and November 2024, leading to the significant weakening of Hezbollah.
Despite the cease-fire coming into effect on Nov. 27, the Israeli army continues to bomb Lebanon, saying it targets Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, and has maintained its occupation of five positions in the southern part of Lebanese territory.