Israeli Drone Strike In Southern Lebanon Kills Five, Including US Children

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Sunday killed five people, including three children, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. The incident occurred in the town of Bint Jbeil despite a US-broker peace pact in place since November, Al Jazeera reported. 

Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri claimed that the three children, along with their father, who were killed, held US citizenship. The mother of the children was also wounded in the attack. 

Israel claimed the target was a member of Hezbollah, but acknowledged that civilians died in the operation. 

“The IDF is operating against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation and will continue to act to remove any threat posed to the State of Israel,” the statement said.

Lebanese leaders have strongly condemned the strike. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described it as a “crime against civilians,” asking whether Lebanese childhood is treated as an existential threat. 

“Is it Lebanese childhood that poses an existential threat to the Israeli entity?” Berri asked, according to state-run National News Agency. “Or is it the behaviour of this entity, in killing without deterrence or accountability, that constitutes a real threat to international peace and security?,” he said. 

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of committing “a new massacre”.

“What happened is a blatant crime against civilians and a message of intimidation targeting our people returning to their villages in the south,” Salam, who previously served as the president of the International Court of Justice said, Al Jazeera reported. 

Israel has continued its strikes in Lebanon, despite a ceasefire agreement in place. Under the Washington-brokered ceasefire, both the militant Hezbollah group and Israel were supposed to withdraw their forces from southern Lebanon and halt strikes against each other. Israeli forces have continued to occupy five Lebanese hilltop points by the border.

The months long war between Hezbollah and Israel killed some 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced residents across southern and eastern Lebanon, AP reported.