Click to see the full-size image
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on February 19 carried out a strike in southern Lebanon, killing a fighter of Hezbollah.
In a statement, the military said that the Hezbollah fighter was targeted in the town of Ayta ash-Shab after he was seen handling weapons.
Lebanon’s official National News agency (NNA) said that “an enemy drone struck a vehicle… in the town of Ayta ash-Shab,” near the southern border.
The slain Hezbollah fighter was the first person killed by the IDF in Lebanon since Israel withdrew from most of the border area a day earlier in accordance with the ceasefire brokered by the United States last November.
In addition, the NNA said that one person was wounded in the Wazzani region in southern Lebanon after Israeli troops opened fire “while residents were inspecting” restaurants and cafes in the area. The agency also reported that the troops fired toward homes near the town of Shebaa in the same region.
In another incident, the IDF said that its troops fired warning shots in the Kafr Kila area in southern Lebanon after a group of suspects gathered close to the Israeli border. The suspects withdrew after the shots were fired, according to a statement by the military.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli troops were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Within the same period, Hezbollah was to pull out its forces from the region and Lebanese troops were to deploy in the area.
The original withdrawal deadline was January 26, but was extended until February 18 after complaints from Israel. Still, the IDF announced just before the February deadline that it would temporarily keep troops in “five strategic points” in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese officials said that they were in contact with ceasefire brokers the U.S. and France to press Israel to fully withdraw, describing its continued presence in five places an “occupation.” The United Nations also called the incomplete withdrawal a violation of a Security Council resolution.
From its side, Hezbollah has so far refrained from reacting, holding the Lebanese government responsible for implementing the agreement with Israel. The group could however change its stance in the future after recovering from the heavy losses it took during the confrontation with the IDF, which broke out as a result of the war in the Gaza Strip.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
