Lebanon said four people were killed Sunday in an Israeli drone strike near the Syrian border, while Israel said it had targeted operatives from the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, reports AFP.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone struck a vehicle in the Majdal Anjar area in the country’s east, leaving four bodies inside the car. The health ministry confirmed the death toll in a statement.
The Israeli military said it had “struck Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the Majdal Anjar area,” identifying the targets as members of the Iran-backed group.
The strike comes despite a November 2024 truce aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which erupted in October 2023 alongside the Gaza war. Although the ceasefire reduced large-scale fighting, Israel has continued periodic strikes in Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah positions.
Sunday’s attack appeared to be the first publicly claimed Israeli strike in Lebanon against Islamic Jihad since the truce took effect. The group, like Hamas, is allied with Hezbollah and claimed attacks from Lebanese territory during the earlier phase of the conflict.
According to an AFP tally based on Lebanese health ministry figures, more than 370 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire.
Under the truce terms, the Lebanese army began implementing a government plan to assert greater control in border areas and curb the presence of armed groups. In January, it announced completion of the first phase of efforts to disarm Hezbollah near the Israeli frontier.
As part of a broader push to place weapons under state authority, some Palestinian factions in Lebanon handed over arms in several refugee camps last year. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have not announced plans to disarm in Lebanon.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
