Destruction seen in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin after last year’s war (Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel has killed two civilians in a deadly drone strike on the southern Lebanese town of Zibqin, in yet another violation of a fragile ceasefire still technically in effect since late last year.
Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed on Sunday that the toll from the Israeli strike had risen to two dead, naming the victims as 30-year-old Ali Hassan Salibi and 17-year-old Adnan Fadl Bzeih. Two others were wounded in the attack.
Ali Salibi had already survived one Israeli assault. In September last year, he lost an eye and sustained severe injuries to his hand in an Israeli pager bomb attack that left over 3,000 people wounded and killed dozens, including two children, after the devices exploded in homes, pockets, and emergency bags across the country.
“The toll in the strike launched by the Israeli enemy on the town of Zibqin rose to two dead,” the health ministry said in a statement, adding that the figure was final after initially reporting one death.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility, stating it had “carried out an airstrike targeting two Hezbollah operatives in the Zibqin area”, alleging they were “attempting to rebuild Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites”. No evidence was presented to support the claim.
The strike comes amid continued Israeli breaches of a US-brokered ceasefire reached in November, which aimed to end a year-long cycle of violence between Israel and Hezbollah.
While Hezbollah was to redeploy its forces north of the Litani River and dismantle military infrastructure in the south, Israel was expected to withdraw across the UN-demarcated Blue Line – a promise it has failed to keep.
Israel continues to occupy five positions in southern Lebanon it considers “strategic”, despite missing two deadlines under the truce terms.
The latest attack followed a visit by US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, who on Saturday discussed the situation in southern Lebanon and economic reforms with top Lebanese officials.
According to a Lebanese official speaking anonymously to AFP, Ortagus pushed for “intensifying and speeding up” the Lebanese army’s efforts to “dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, leading to restricting weapons to state hands, without setting a timetable”.
While Ortagus made no official statements, President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the talks as positive, confirming they addressed both security in the south and economic reforms.
The Lebanese official added that Ortagus had “implied” that reconstruction of war-damaged areas would require “first achieving reforms and the expansion of state authority”.
Lebanon’s finance ministry said Ortagus met on Sunday with Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, Economy Minister Amer Bsat, and new central bank governor Karim Souaid.
A ministry statement noted that “reforms initiated by the government… and the economic reform programme” were discussed and that the officials would attend meetings with the International Monetary Fund in Washington later this month.
The same Lebanese official said Ortagus had “praised the government’s reform plan, particularly the measures taken at the airport”.
Beirut airport has recently introduced tighter controls and new technology to prevent smuggling, including alleged transfers of money or weapons to Hezbollah, according to a Lebanese security source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
Flights between Lebanon and Iran have been suspended since February, after a US warning that Israel might target Beirut airport to stop alleged arms shipments. Both Hezbollah and Tehran deny any such smuggling.
