The Lebanese army said one person was killed Monday and four of its soldiers wounded in an Israeli strike targeting a vehicle in the south of the country, where a fragile ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel has come to an end. effective November 27.
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“The Israeli enemy targeted a car near the Saf al-Hawa – Bint Jbeil military checkpoint, killing one citizen and moderately injuring four soldiers,” it said in a statement.
The Lebanese National News Agency (Ani, official) also reported an “Israeli strike targeting a car on the Saf al-Hawa – Bint Jbeil road, near an army checkpoint, killing the driver of the vehicle, a civilian.”
The Israeli army has repeatedly asked residents of southern Lebanon not to travel to several locations along the border, including Bint Jbeil.
A truce ended on November 27 an open war of more than two months between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel which left more than 4,000 dead in Lebanon and devastated strongholds of the pro-Iranian formation.
Israel and Hezbollah regularly accuse each other of violating the truce.
The ceasefire agreement provides for the withdrawal within 60 days of the Israeli army from Lebanon and stipulates that only the Lebanese army and peacekeepers should be deployed in the south of the country.
On December 2, Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed 11 people, according to the country’s Health Ministry, after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for its first attack on an Israeli position since the truce began.
The next day, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to penetrate “deeper” into Lebanon if the fragile ceasefire agreement were to be broken.
“If we go to war again, we will act with even greater force and penetrate deeper”, “there will no longer be immunity for the Lebanese State” and Israel will no longer make “a distinction (between Lebanon and ) Hezbollah,” the minister said during a visit to troops.
