Lebanon's southern border village attacked by Israeli drones: State media

Beirut, April 16 (IANS) Israeli drones carried out three airstrikes near the village of Ramyeh in southern Lebanon's Bint Jbeil district, Lebanese official sources said, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

"Israeli unmanned aircraft launched three successive strikes targeting Wadi al-Mazlam on the outskirts of Ramyeh, located in the central sector of the southern border region," the NNA reported, without providing further details.

The NNA also reported an earlier attack on Tuesday, with an Israeli drone targeting a civilian vehicle near Aitaroun, a village along Lebanon's southern border, killing one person and wounding three others, including a child.

Israel has yet to comment on the attack reports, Xinhua news agency reported.

A US- and French-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since November 27, 2024, ending over a year of cross-border hostilities sparked by the war in Gaza.

Despite the truce, the Israeli military has continued to carry out occasional strikes in southern Lebanon, citing the need to address "threats" from Hezbollah. Israel has also maintained positions at five key locations along the Lebanese border beyond a February 18 deadline for full withdrawal.

Earlier in March Israeli airstrikes hit a building in Beirut's southern suburbs, which marked the first such attack since a ceasefire was agreed on November 27.

The Israeli military said it targetted a "drone storage facility" belonging to Hezbollah in Dahieh, a stronghold for the Shiite militant group near the Lebanese capital.

Before the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an evacuation warning via social media, advising civilians to leave a 300-metre radius around the site. IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted a map marking the location and urged immediate evacuation.

--IANS

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