By Michelle Ndaga
An Israeli drone strike early Wednesday killed one person in the southern Lebanese town of Ain Qana, near Al Mahdi School in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region, amid escalating cross-border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanese state media reported that the strike targeted a motorcycle on a road adjacent to the school, killing the rider instantly. Local sources identified the victim as a civilian, while Israel claimed the individual was a “terrorist operative.” The Israeli military did not provide further details on the person’s identity or alleged role.
Ambulance crews rushed to the scene shortly after the blast, which occurred near residential areas and an educational facility, raising renewed fears about civilian safety in southern Lebanon.
The attack is the latest in a string of Israeli strikes across Lebanon’s south, which have continued despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire signed in November 2024 to end months of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The truce has been repeatedly violated by both sides, with recent weeks seeing intensified drone and artillery exchanges along the border.
Lebanese authorities condemned Wednesday’s strike as a violation of national sovereignty and the fragile ceasefire. Hezbollah has not immediately commented on whether it will respond to the incident.
The Israeli military has maintained that its recent operations in southern Lebanon are preemptive measures to counter Hezbollah activities near the border. However, human rights groups have warned that such attacks particularly those occurring near civilian infrastructure—risk breaching international humanitarian law.
The incident underscores the fragility of the ceasefire and the growing risk of a renewed escalation between the two long-standing adversaries, as communities along the Lebanon-Israel border continue to bear the brunt of the violence.
