At least 3 killed in new Israeli strikes across south Lebanon amid ceasefire violations

The Israeli military has killed at least three people in southern Lebanon during separate airstrikes after threatening to resume “wide-scale” aggression against the country.

In a statement released on Sunday,  the Lebanese health ministry said that an "Israeli enemy strike" on a motorcycle in Yater, south Lebanon, killed one person and wounded another.

Separately, an Israeli attack targeting a car also killed another person between the towns of Safad al-Batikh and Barashit.

At the same time, a member of the municipal council in Jouaya, Tyre, was killed after an Israeli strike targeted the town.

Israel’s war minister, Israel Katz, late last month, warned that Tel Aviv is prepared to launch a new war on Lebanon if the Hezbollah resistance movement does not surrender its weapons by the end of 2025.

Lebanon has received warnings from Arab and international parties that Israel is preparing to launch a wide-scale attack against the country, Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said Friday.

Raggi said Beirut had intensified its diplomatic contacts with regional countries to “protect Lebanon and its facilities from any potential strike.”

Beirut is intensifying its diplomatic contacts “to protect Lebanon and its facilities from any potential strike,” Raggi said in statements carried by Lebanon’s National News Agency NNA.

The continued bombardment has drawn sharp criticism from the United Nations, which reported in November that at least 127 civilians, including children, have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect in late 2024. UN officials have warned that the attacks amount to “war crimes.”

In light of the substantial losses during months of war and the inability to fulfil its military objectives in the aggression against Lebanon, Israel had no choice but to accept a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which came into effect on November 27, 2024.

Ever since the agreement was enacted, the occupying forces have conducted numerous assaults on Lebanon, including airstrikes throughout the Arab country, in blatant disregard of the ceasefire.

Israel remains in control of five important regions in southern Lebanon, which include Labbouneh, Mount Blat, Owayda Hill, Aaziyyeh, and Hammamis Hill, all located close to the border.

Lebanon has denounced the ongoing presence of Israeli military personnel, perceiving it as a breach of the ceasefire agreement and the predetermined schedule for withdrawal.

Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, in a recent address, vowed the resistance movement will never lay down its weapons, criticising the Lebanese government’s plan to establish a state monopoly on arms and arguing that the issue is exploited by the United States and Israel to press for the group’s disarmament.

Israel Lebanon escalation

This episode centers on whether Israeli violations represent a breakdown of international commitments, how they impact the security decisions of Lebanese actors, and whether guarantors of the ceasefire can still be trusted to uphold peace.

He added that Hezbollah will not budge from such a position, as it is the most honourable national stance, requiring no validation from those with a dark and criminal background, and a history of sedition and corruption.

The Hezbollah leader said the plan is within the context of the Tel Aviv regime’s “Greater Israel” project, warning that surrender would lead to Lebanon ceasing to exist.

He also called on the Beirut government to “reconsider its positions and recalculate, and not make any further concessions.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk