Israeli escalation in south Lebanon: Drone strikes kill Hezbollah member and commander

BEIRUT — The Israeli army killed two people in two separate drone strikes on southern Lebanon on Thursday, claiming in a statement afterward that the victims were a Hezbollah commander and a party member.

The two attacks are the latest in a string of hundreds of violations by Israel of the cease-fire agreement it signed with Hezbollah, via the Lebanese government, seven months ago.

In an official statement, the Israeli army claimed one of the men was a commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan unit, and the other was a member of what it vaguely termed as Hezbollah's "observational force."

The first strike happened Thursday morning, targeting a man who was operating a Bobcat excavator in the Bint Jbeil district village of Shaqra. The second drone strike targeted a motorcycle at the western road leading into the village of Beit Lif, also in Bint Jbeil district. The Ministry of Health later confirmed that two people had been killed in the strikes.

The man operating the excavator was named Mohammad Karout, originally from the village of Mais al-Jabal.

More news from the South

Israel claims Nabatieh strike killed 'key Hezbollah financial operative'

Israeli drones continued to fly low over various areas in southern Lebanon and over Beirut's southern suburbs during the afternoon. One of the drones dropped leaflets over the Hasbaya district village of Kfar Shuba, warning residents not to approach the area, which is considered by the Israeli army — whose troops continues to occupy five sites on Lebanese territory along the Blue line — to be a restricted military zone.

About a week ago, a farmer from the village reported that upon arriving on his land, he saw a leaflet attached to a tree branch. The notice was written in English and stated: "No entry: military zone."

Israel has killed nearly 200 people in its ongoing attacks against Lebanon since the November truce agreement. The cease-fire mandated the establishment of a cease-fire monitoring committee made up of representatives from Lebanon, Israel, the U.S., France and UNIFIL, however the body rarely releases statements and little is known regarding the fulfillment of its duties.

Reporting contributed by L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.