Israeli strike kills 3 Lebanese civilians in new violation of ceasefire
BEIRUT
Three civilians were killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Dec. 11, in the latest violation of a ceasefire deal between the two sides, Lebanese media said.
The fatalities occurred when a drone fired a guided missile at the Al-Awaini neighborhood in Bint Jbeil district, the state news agency NNA reported.
The strike marked the third Israeli attack on Bint Jbeil on Dec. 11 alone.
It came hours after one person was killed and another injured in a drone strike on a house in the Khillet al-Diraz area, between Aainata and Bint Jbei on Dec. 11.
Another Israeli strike hit a small van on a road between Beit Lif and Srebbine in southern Lebanon, leaving one person dead.
At least 28 people have been killed and 30 others injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel came into force two weeks ago, according to Lebanese figures.
Under the ceasefire terms, Israel is required to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line — a de facto border — in phases, while the Lebanese army is to deploy in southern Lebanon within 60 days.
More than 4,000 people have been killed and over 16,500 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, in addition to over 1 million displaced since Oct. 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.
Israel kills at least 33 in Gaza strikes
Israeli airstrikes in northern and central Gaza killed at least 33 people overnight, Palestinian medical officials said on Dec. 11, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to return to the Middle East this week for his first diplomatic visit since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Hospital records show one Israeli strike on a home in northern Gaza killed 19 people including a family of eight — four children, their parents and two grandparents.
The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas militant in the vicinity of the hospital, part of a blistering offensive in Gaza’s isolated and heavily destroyed north.
“We have received distress calls from neighbors and trapped people, but we’re not able to leave the hospital because of the continued risk,” said the director of the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital.
The strikes in Gaza came a day after Israel carried out a wave of hundreds of airstrikes across Syria as its troops advanced deeper into the country.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health officials. They say women and children make up more than half the dead but do not distinguish between fighters and civilians in their count. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.