Israeli drone attack kills 1 person in southern Lebanon
One person was killed in an Israeli drone attack in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the drone hit a pick-up truck on the Ain al-Mazrab-Tebnine road in the Bint Jbeil district.
A ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hezbollah in November, but Israeli forces have continued with near-daily attacks since.
Israel confirms carrying out drone attack in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army has claimed responsibility for the drone attack in southern Lebanon’s Tebnine area that we reported on earlier, saying it was targeting a Hezbollah operative.
It said the target was engaged in attempting to rehabilitate the military infrastructure of the armed Lebanese group.
The Israeli military has been carrying out daily air attacks across Lebanon, in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire reached with Hezbollah. Israel also continues to occupy parts of south Lebanon.
UN Security Council to vote on future of Lebanon peacekeeping force
The UN Security Council is set to vote on a France-drafted resolution that would extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until August 31, 2026, while preparing for its eventual withdrawal.
Deployed in 1978 to separate Israel and Lebanon, UNIFIL has been tasked with maintaining calm in southern Lebanon.
The latest draft text says the Security Council intends “to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL with the aim of making the Lebanese Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon”.
Under the agreement that ended the most recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s army has been deploying in the south and dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure. Israel, however, was meant to withdraw completely, but continues to carry out attacks across Lebanon.
The draft resolution also “condemns the incidents that affected United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon premises and forces, injuring several peacekeepers”, a reference to Israeli strikes on UNIFIL positions. Israel is not specifically named in the text.
Before the vote on Monday, a senior UN official warned that “to completely eliminate [UNIFIL’s] capacity at this point, or very quickly, would not serve anybody in the region,” calling any abrupt withdrawal risky.
Hezbollah chief urges Lebanese gov’t to revoke decision to disarm group
Naim Qassem says the Lebanese government’s decree to remove the group’s weapons is a grave mistake taken under Israeli diktats. “If this government continues in this form, it cannot be a trustee of Lebanon’s sovereignty unless it retracts its decision,” he said.
Qassem also reiterated that Hezbollah will not give up its weapons. “The resistance will remain as a strong barrier preventing Israel from achieving its goals, and Israel will not be able to remain in Lebanon or achieve its expansionist project through Lebanon,” the Hezbollah chief said.
Last month, the Lebanese Council of Ministers approved a resolution tasking the army with formulating a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year.
The decree was in accordance with a US initiative that includes vague promises that Israel would end its occupation of parts of south Lebanon and daily attacks on the country if Hezbollah’s weapons are removed.
Hezbollah said it will treat the decision “as if it doesn’t exist”.
