By Ashiru Taofeek Adewale
An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon killed one person on Thursday, Lebanon’s health ministry said, as the Israeli military confirmed it had targeted a member of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
The strike hit the town of al-Tiri, the ministry said in a statement, describing it as an “Israeli enemy strike.” The Israeli military said it struck a “Hezbollah terrorist” operating in the area.
The attack is the latest violation of a fragile ceasefire agreement brokered in late November 2024. That truce was intended to end more than a year of cross-border hostilities, including two months of full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Despite the agreement, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes on what it describes as Hezbollah military infrastructure and personnel. It has also maintained a troop presence at five locations inside Lebanon it considers strategically vital, drawing frequent complaints from Beirut.
The ceasefire deal tasked the Lebanese army with disarming militant groups in the south and preventing Hezbollah from re-establishing a military presence near the Israeli border. In January, the army announced it had completed the first phase of that plan, covering the area south of the Litani River – roughly 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the frontier.
Lebanon’s cabinet is scheduled to meet Monday to review progress on the disarmament initiative.
Israel has repeatedly voiced dissatisfaction with the pace of the Lebanese army’s deployment, accusing Hezbollah of using the period to rearm. Hezbollah, which retains significant political and military influence, has rejected calls to surrender its arsenal, describing its weapons as essential to Lebanon’s defence.
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