Beirut, Lebanon — An Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil on Sunday killed five people and wounded two others, Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed. Among the dead were a father and his three children, according to a statement from Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who added that the victims held U.S. citizenship.
The attack, which Lebanese state news agency reported hit a motorcycle and a vehicle, drew swift condemnation from Lebanese officials. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called it a “blatant crime against civilians and a message of intimidation aimed at our people returning to their villages in the south.”
A Truce Under Strain
The strike violates a U.S.-brokered truce between Lebanon and Israel that took effect in November of the previous year. The ceasefire, which followed a year of conflict sparked by the war in Gaza, was intended to halt cross-border hostilities. However, Israel has continued to conduct what it calls occasional strikes in southern Lebanon, citing threats from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group.
The ceasefire agreement, brokered with the support of the United States and France, was designed to allow civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return to their homes and to facilitate the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Hezbollah has stated that it will not consider disarmament as long as Israel continues its airstrikes and maintains a military presence in southern Lebanon.
Israel has not yet commented on the strike. The attack comes as Lebanon faces domestic and international pressure to disarm Hezbollah, a move the group staunchly opposes while hostilities from Israel persist.