An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed five people on Sunday, including three children, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.
Two others were wounded, including the mother in the family.
The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hezbollah militant, and that he “operated from within a civilian population.”
Photo: AP
It acknowledged that civilians were killed and that it was reviewing the incident.
Israel frequently says it is targeting Hezbollah militants or infrastructure in the tiny country’s battered southern region. Hezbollah has only claimed firing across the border once since the ceasefire, but Israel says the militant group is trying to rebuild its capabilities.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said four of those killed, the three children as well as their father, held US citizenship. However, the US Department of State said none of the five appeared to be a US citizen, but the situation was still “fluid.”
Photo: AFP
Since a ceasefire agreement was reached in November last year to end Israel’s monthslong war with the Hezbollah militant group, Israel has continued to strike southern and eastern Lebanon almost daily.
Lebanese officials have said that the ongoing strikes risk the country’s recent efforts to disarm the group and could destabilize the country.
Hezbollah has maintained that it no longer has a military presence south of the Litani River, and has refused to speak of disarmament without Israel stopping its attacks and withdrawing from southern Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah officials say the ongoing strikes justify their refusal to give up their arms, and claim that the ceasefire agreement and monitoring mechanism with the US, France, and UN peacekeeping forces is ineffective.
Under the Washington-brokered ceasefire, the militant Hezbollah group and Israel were supposed to withdraw their forces from southern Lebanon, and halt strikes against each other. Israeli forces have continued to occupy five Lebanese hilltop points by the border.
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