Israeli strikes kill two in Lebanon, UN forces report drone attack 

Israeli strikes have killed two people in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Public Health said an “Israeli enemy strike” on a vehicle in Mansuri in southern Lebanon had killed one person.

It also said that a strike on the southern town of Mayfadun killed one person the previous night. Israel said the victim of that attack was a Hezbollah member who it alleged “took part in attempts to reestablish Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the Zawtar al-Sharqiyah area”.

The Israeli military on Thursday also carried out several strikes in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa region, north of the Litani River, after issuing warnings to evacuate.

United Nations peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon on Friday sent a stop-fire request to the Israeli army after a drone “dropped a grenade” on its troops. It was unclear if the grenade exploded or not.

UNIFIL said such activities put both civilians and peacekeepers at risk and constitute a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

UNIFIL was established in 1978 following Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon and saw its mandate significantly expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah under Resolution 1701.

More than 10,000 peacekeepers were deployed to monitor the cessation of hostilities and support the Lebanese army’s presence south of the Litani River.

The UN Security Council decided in August to end UNIFIL’s mandate on December 31, 2026, followed by a one-year plan for a phased drawdown of forces.

Israel has continued violating the ceasefire with Hezbollah in place since late November 2024, resulting in hundreds of casualties, while Israeli forces remain on five Lebanese hills seized in the latest war, in addition to other areas occupied for decades.

Lebanon has faced growing ‌pressure from the US ⁠and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, and its leaders fear that Israel could dramatically escalate strikes ‌across the battered country to push Lebanon’s leaders to confiscate Hezbollah’s arsenal more quickly.