FILE- People inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike on a cement plant in the southern Lebanese village of Ansar, Lebanon. AP
According to Sky News Arabia, the victim was identified as Ibrahim Salameh, a municipal worker who often spent the night in a room inside the building.
Israeli troops stormed the premises and remained inside for nearly two hours.
Video footage circulated online showed bullet holes across the walls and furniture, as well as gunfire that struck Salameh.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed that “a citizen was killed in the town of Blida by live fire from the Israeli enemy during an incursion early Thursday morning.”
The state-run National News Agency reported that Salameh was killed “in his sleep” shortly after midnight, during an Israeli operation that continued until almost dawn.
Residents of Blida later blocked roads in protest against the raid and the killing of the municipal employee.
The Israeli army later acknowledged carrying out an operation in the town, claiming it was aimed at “destroying Hezbollah infrastructure.”
It accused Hezbollah of using the Blida municipal building “for terrorist activity under the cover of civilian infrastructure.”
Following the ground incursion, Israeli warplanes launched a series of strikes on Thursday, targeting areas around Jarmaq, Khardali, and Al-Mahmoudiya in southern Lebanon, local media reported.
The bombardment triggered multiple fires in the targeted areas.
Israel continues to carry out strikes across parts of Lebanon, particularly in the south, despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect on 27 November 2024.
Israeli forces also remain deployed at five positions in southern Lebanon.
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