One killed in Deir Siryan, surface-to-surface missiles used

Israel intensified pressure in southern Lebanon between Wednesday night and Thursday morning with a series of strikes, including a deadly drone attack and the unprecedented use of surface-to-surface missiles since the Nov. 27, 2024, cease-fire with Hezbollah, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

Around 7 a.m. Thursday, an Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle in Deir Siryan, Marjayoun district, killing its driver. Local information identified the victim as Salim Salman al-Khatib, whose two brothers were previously killed in Israeli attacks. Drones continued to fly over the area after the strike.

Also Thursday morning, an Israeli drone strike hit near construction equipment in Aitaroun, Bint Jbeil district, causing no injuries.

On Wednesday night, around 9 p.m., a drone strike hit a residential building in Hosh, Sour district, wounding seven people. The same building had been struck before, according to local reports. About an hour later, bombardment hit the outskirts of Ansar, Nabatieh district, with surface-to-surface missiles launched from Israeli territory. Another strike using the same weapons targeted the “al-Ras” area of Deir al-Zahrani, also in Nabatieh. Residents said they saw the missiles overhead.

The Israeli army later said it had struck “infrastructure, arms depots and a rocket launcher” in southern Lebanon but gave no details on the locations or munitions.

Overnight, automatic gunfire was also fired from the Rweissat al-Alam site on the disputed Kfar Shuba Heights toward the nearby village in the Hasbaya district.

Despite the truce, Israeli forces continue to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon and, less frequently, in Hezbollah strongholds such as the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

In a bid to end the hostilities, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has put forward a “roadmap” with step-by-step measures between Beirut and Tel Aviv. Lebanon has taken the first step by agreeing to the “Barrack plan” and giving its army until the end of the year to disarm Hezbollah and other armed groups. In return, Israel is expected to gradually withdraw from positions it still holds in southern Lebanon and release Lebanese detainees from its prisons.