Israeli strike kills 2 in south Lebanon: Military

JERUSALEM – The Israeli military carried out an air strike in south Lebanon, killing two people it said on May 22 had been armed and “moving in a suspicious manner” in an area where it is fighting Hezbollah.

Israel and the Iran-backed group have been regularly trading fire in the country’s south despite a ceasefire, which was extended by the Israeli and Lebanese authorities last week.

“A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of metres from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military posted on Telegram.

“Following their identification and continuous monitoring by the IDF, the armed individuals were struck and eliminated in an aerial strike,” the post said.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported overnight strikes in southern Tyre district had killed four and injured two medics at an Islamic Health Committee site.

Since a truce began on April 17, Israel has continued to launch strikes, carry out demolitions and issue evacuation orders in south Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, which has also kept up attacks.

Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel on March 2 in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.

Israel responded with a massive series of air strikes and a ground invasion in the country’s south, where its troops are operating inside an Israeli-declared “yellow line” running around 10km inside Lebanon along the border.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on May 21 that Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people since the wider regional war began.

Israel’s military has reported the death of 22 personnel during the fighting.

Last week, the fragile temporary truce was extended for 45 days following a third round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington, discussions that Hezbollah staunchly opposes. AFP