Beirut, Lebanon – At least one person has been killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), as near-daily attacks by Israel continue despite a November ceasefire.
The attack on Monday hit an excavator in the Shamsiyah area of Sohmor in the Bekaa Valley, killing its driver. Footage on social media, verified by Al Jazeera, showed emergency responders carrying the victim away on a stretcher.
Local media reported that dozens of Israeli drones flew at low altitude over several villages in southern and eastern Lebanon. One drone targeted the town of Aitaroun on Monday afternoon while another bombed a house in Houmin al-Fauqa. No casualties were reported in those attacks.
More than 150 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since November 27, the day the ceasefire came into effect and was supposed to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah after nearly two months of cross-border attacks. Israel’s war on Lebanon killed more than 4,000 people, weakened Hezbollah’s military capabilities and wiped out its top leadership.
Ceasefire violations
Under the ceasefire, Israel was to withdraw all its forces from Lebanese territory, but its military remains in at least five positions in Lebanon near their shared border.
NNA reported a “series” of raids on Sunday between the Medena Plain, Kfar Rumman and Jarmaq while other strikes targeted Jarmaq and Mahmoudiya. A drone strike was also reported on a home in Humin.
Earlier this month, an Israeli strike on the southern city of Bint Jbeil killed five people, including three children. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health confirmed the deaths while Israel’s military said the attack targeted a Hezbollah member, acknowledging in a statement that “several uninvolved civilians were killed”.
As Israel has refused to pull out from Lebanese territory, it has said Hezbollah should first disarm – a demand the Lebanese group has rejected.
Pressure to disarm
Israel claims its air strikes are intended to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military strength after last year’s war, which killed its longtime chief, Hassan Nasrallah.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah is facing growing political and diplomatic pressure to disarm. Israel and its closest ally, the United States, are now pressing for the disarmament of Hezbollah, which carried out its attacks on Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 66,000 people have been killed during Israel’s two-year war.
On September 5, the Lebanese government tasked the army with preparing a disarmament plan.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, the US special envoy for Syrian affairs, Tom Barrack, said Hezbollah’s entrenched political role makes any disarmament effort more complex.
“Convincing Hezbollah to give up its weapons is the job of the Lebanese government, and the United States is not interested in pressuring anybody,” he said.
But earlier this month, the US Department of Defense announced $14.2m in aid for the Lebanese army to bolster its mission to “degrade Hezbollah”, calling it part of the administration’s priority to counter Iranian-backed armed groups in the region.
Hezbollah, however, has dismissed any suggestions it will hand over its weapons, claiming it is a US and Israeli initiative to weaken Lebanon.
Speaking in Beirut on Saturday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem told thousands of people gathered at Nasrallah’s tomb that the group would preserve its military capabilities despite heavy losses.
“We will never abandon our weapons, nor will we relinquish them,” Qassem said, promising to “confront any project that serves Israel”. He added that disarmament under the current conditions would leave Lebanon vulnerable to further attacks.
