Israeli drone attack kills 1 in Lebanon despite ceasefire

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that “an enemy drone struck a vehicle … in the town of Aita al-Shaab” on Wednesday.

Sanad, Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, identified the victim as Yusuf Mohammed Sorour, the son of the mayor of the town, targeted while he was sitting in his car in front of his home.

NNA had earlier reported that in a separate attack, one person was wounded in the Wazzani region after Israeli forces opened fire “while residents were inspecting” restaurants and cafes in the area.

The NNA also reported that Israeli troops shot towards homes near the town of Shebaa.

A ceasefire deal agreed in November 2024 had halted more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war in which Israel’s relentless bombing killed more than 4,000 people, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.

Under the agreement, Lebanon’s military was to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period that was later extended to February 18.

Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30km (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle the remaining military infrastructure in the south.

Israel announced just before the deadline that it would temporarily keep troops in “five strategic points” near the border.

The army said they were hilltops overlooking the border where troops would remain to “make sure there’s no immediate threat” – something that Lebanon rejects.

On Wednesday, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun told visiting US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz that it is necessary to end Israel’s presence in the country to complete the ceasefire deal, adding that Lebanon would consider any Israeli troops on its soil an “occupation”.

The UN called the incomplete pullout a violation of a Security Council resolution.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned in November that Israel would maintain “full military freedom of action” in case of any truce breach.

The refusal by Israel to withdraw all of its forces confers more uncertainty over the fragile ceasefire deal.

Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire by launching sporadic attacks. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded 330 air raids and shellings carried out by Israel between November 27 and January 10, and 260 property destructions.