Israeli strikes kill two, destroy civilian infrastructure in south Lebanon

Two people were killed Tuesday in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, one in Deir Aames (Sour) and the second near Yater (Bint Jbeil), according to the Ministry of Health and our correspondent in the south. The deadly attacks took place despite the supposed cease-fire in place between Israel and Hezbollah, which came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, after 13 months of war, but which Israel has been violating on a near-daily basis.

Victims of Israeli airstrikes identified

In Deir Aames, a drone strike earlier targeted a car, killing one person and injuring another, a Syrian national, according to the Ministry of Health.

The victim has been identified as a member of Hezbollah, named Mahmoud Issa, according to our sources. The Israeli army said in its statement that it had assassinated Issa, the "local Hezbollah representative in the Kafra area in southern Lebanon ... responsible for financial and military connections between Hezbollah and the residents of the village."

To the west of Yater, in the Maryamine Valley, an Israeli drone strike targeted a bulldozer, killing one person. According to our correspondent in the south, the victim was identified as Ali Qaddouh and was working the land as an employee, tasked to develop it for a month.

Meanwhile, in Gaza:

Diaries from Gaza: I do not know where I am, I do not know how I arrived here

Airspace violation and targeting of civilian infrastructure

Construction infrastructure is regularly targeted by the Israeli army under the pretext that Hezbollah is attempting to rebuild its capabilities. In a south devastated by Israeli bombardment and with the systematic destruction of entire neighborhoods, the targeting of construction capabilities makes it near impossible for any reconstruction efforts to gain viable traction.

An Israeli drone also dropped two stun grenades at workers restoring a potable water source in Odaisseh (Marjayoun), without causing any injuries.

This morning, "intense" machine-gun fire and stun grenades were fired on the outskirts of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya), from the Roueisat al-Alam site on the occupied hills of the locality. Israeli drones violated Lebanese airspace over night, while residents of Beirut and its southern suburbs woke up this morning to the loud buzzing of a drone flying over the area at low altitude.

On Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed two people: A survivor of last year's deadly pager attacks who permanently lost his eyesight, and his wife. The couple had been on their way to pick up their children from school when Israel targeted their car in the Nabatieh area.

Despite the Nov. 27, 2024 cease-fire, Israel continues to carry out near-daily strikes on Lebanon. The U.N. indicated in early October that 103 civilians have been killed in Lebanon since the truce went into effect.

Weakened by the war, which killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and eliminated much of its leadership, Hezbollah is now under heavy pressure to hand over its weapons to the state.

In early September, the Lebanese Army presented a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025, an initiative strongly criticized by the movement, which firmly opposes it as long as Israel continues its aggression and occupation of Lebanese territory.