Key facts
- An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed four people, including a headteacher.
- The victims were returning from visiting family when the strike occurred.
- The Israeli military claimed the vehicle posed a threat to soldiers.
- This is the deadliest Israeli attack since a ceasefire was announced last month.
- Over 4,319 people have been killed in Lebanon since the current round of hostilities began.
An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon has killed four people, including a headteacher, Lebanese state media reported. The Israeli military stated the car had approached a security zone and was deemed a threat. This incident marks the deadliest Israeli attack since a ceasefire was announced last month.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the victims included the headteacher, her mother, a female foreign domestic worker, and a male Syrian worker. They were returning from visiting their family home in Nabatieh al-Fawqa when a drone launched a missile strike, killing them instantly.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, stating that the suspects had posed a threat to its soldiers and that the Air Force conducted a precise strike to remove the threat.
Lebanon was drawn into the conflict on March 2, with Hezbollah launching missiles into Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. Israel responded with air campaigns and a ground invasion in the south. According to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 4,319 people have been killed in Lebanon since the current hostilities began, with over 12,203 injured and more than 1.2 million displaced. Israel reports 36 soldiers and four civilians killed on both sides of the border.
A US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on April 16 did not halt the fighting. In June, Israel and Lebanon agreed to renew the truce, with the US offering to help establish 'pilot zones' under the exclusive control of the Lebanese Armed Forces, excluding non-state actors like Hezbollah. Parts of southern Lebanon remain under Israeli occupation.