Three killed in Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon, including a Hezbollah official

Three people were killed on Saturday in Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon, including a Hezbollah official, according to the Israeli army.

In the late afternoon, two individuals in a vehicle in Debaal (Sour district) were killed in a drone strike, according to our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah.

Earlier in the day, a strike between Tuwairi and Srifa (also in the Sour district) killed Ali Abdel Kader Ismail, identified by Israel as “a senior official from Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil unit.” He was targeted in a drone strike that hit his vehicle on the road connecting Tuwairi to Srifa. After the first missile missed, the vehicle’s passengers tried to flee, prompting the drone to pursue them before successfully hitting the target. Israeli reconnaissance aircraft continued to fly over Srifa and the surrounding area following the strike, according to our correspondent.

“Ismail was aware of Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its capabilities in the Bint Jbeil area, where the group’s activities violate the agreements between Israel and Lebanon,” wrote Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X.

In a separate incident on Saturday, an Israeli drone crashed on the outskirts of the town of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun district), and the Lebanese Army dismantled it. In a statement released Saturday afternoon, the army said that a “drone carrying a hand grenade” had fallen on the edge of the village. “An army patrol secured the area, detonated the grenade, then transported the drone to a specialized unit for examination and further action,” the statement added.

An Israeli drone also dropped a stun grenade near a funeral ceremony taking place in a home east of Mais al-Jabal, causing no injuries, according to our correspondent.

Since the truce deal with Hezbollah last November, Israel has been carrying out near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon. The cease-fire agreement included the establishment of a monitoring committee made up of representatives from Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France, and UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

Mass protest in Saida against ‘extermination war’ in Gaza

A large march took place Saturday in the streets of Saida, southern Lebanon, organized by Palestinian and Lebanese groups to protest “the war of extermination being carried out by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip” and “the starvation policy imposed” on the Palestinians.

“We raise today a cry of pain and loyalty,” said Ahmad Abdel Hadi, Hamas’s representative in Lebanon, in a speech, according to a statement from the Palestinian Islamist movement. He added that “what is happening in Gaza is the genocide of an entire people — through starvation, bombardment, and denial of the most basic right to life.”

The demonstration was held as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with dozens killed or injured every day. Despite mounting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel continues its blockade of the Palestinian enclave, preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid and triggering a famine.