File Photo: A UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol drives past the wreckage of a car that was targeted in an Israeli strike. AFP
"A strike by the Israeli enemy on a car in the town of Burj al-Muluk (near the Israeli border) led to the death of one citizen," the ministry's emergency unit said, according to state news agency NNA and AFP.
Although a 27 November truce significantly halted more than a year of cross-border exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of full-blown Israeli war against Lebanon and Hezbollah, Israel has continued to violate the ceasefire by carrying out periodic strikes on Lebanese territory since the agreement took effect.
AFP reported on Tuesday that an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon killed a senior Hezbollah operative, whom the Israeli military claimed was responsible for a drone and rocket arsenal. Israel frequently targets civilian areas, citing Hezbollah infrastructure or members as a pretext, often without providing evidence.
The strike came as Lebanon received four detainees who had been abducted by Israel during its ground incursion, with a fifth detainee, a soldier, released on Thursday after he was taken earlier this month, AFP reported.
Israel had been due to withdraw from Lebanon by 18 February after missing a January deadline but has violated the truce by keeping troops at five locations it deems "strategic".
In another act of impunity, Israel refused to withdraw all invading troops from southern Lebanon, claiming that its presence must continue because the Lebanese army has not fully deployed to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing a presence in the area. The Lebanese army has stated that it cannot deploy until Israeli forces withdraw.
As part of the agreement, Lebanon's military was to deploy in the south alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew within 60 days. The ceasefire also required Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, and to dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
In late February, Lebanon's new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, toured areas near the Israeli border that were heavily damaged during the Israeli war against Lebanon and Hezbollah, calling for an Israeli withdrawal and pledging reconstruction and a safe return for displaced residents.
The Israeli military's aggression has displaced over 1 million people in southern Lebanon. While many have returned, around 112,000 Lebanese are still displaced.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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