Why is Israel still in southern Lebanon? A war to shape Lebanon's future Two people have been killed in an Israeli drone strike on a minibus in eastern Lebanon as near-daily ceasefire violations continue, Lebanese state media reported. Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said on Thursday that the drone hit the vehicle on the Hosh al-Sayyed Ali road in the Hermel district. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed on X that Thursday's strike targeted a "terrorist operative" in al-Nasiriyah in eastern Lebanon. The attack came hours after a passerby was injured in an Israeli drone strike targeting a car in the town of Jennata in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon late on Wednesday.

Can Israel annex the West Bank if the US says no? Will the US plan for Gaza fail? 'We survived the war, we may not survive the ceasefire' Who are the 95 healthcare workers held by Israel? The United Nations and France have condemned an Israeli attack that hit UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that the previous day's attack on UNIFIL troops, which he said involved an Israeli drone dropping a grenade in the vicinity of a patrol, as well as a tank opening fire on peacekeepers near the border town of Kfar Kila, was "very, very dangerous". Israel has violated the truce on a near-daily basis.

Why is Israel still in southern Lebanon? A war to shape Lebanon's future An Israeli drone strike has killed two people in southern Lebanon, according to the country's Ministry of Public Health, a day after Israeli warplanes launched a series of deadly strikes on the country's eastern mountain range and south. It's the latest in near-daily Israeli violations of the United States-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah that began in November. It did not provide details on their condition. A security source told Al Jazeera that the drone fired a missile at a car, directly hitting the vehicle and causing it to catch fire.

Why is Israel still in southern Lebanon? A war to shape Lebanon's future Lebanon is pushing to get more support from the United States after another deadly Israeli drone attack on southern Lebanon, which this time killed five people, including three children, the latest in a series of near-daily violations by Israel of the US-brokered November 2024 ceasefire. President Joseph Aoun and other officials met with a delegation led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Lebanese presidency said in a statement on Tuesday. The Lebanese president said he wants Israel to stop occupying parts of his country, is looking to gear its army with "equipment and supplies" from the US, and needs Washington's support to hold a conference dedicated to reconstruction in Lebanon. Amid ongoing efforts to disarm Hezbollah, Aoun emphasised that the Lebanese army's mandate includes "all Lebanese regions" as the country tries to seize an opportunity "to achieve just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East region". He is also scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, where he is expected to denounce Israeli attacks across the region, including in Gaza and Lebanon.

The Lebanese military says two soldiers have been killed and two wounded as they investigated an Israeli drone crash in southern Lebanon. The army said the downed Israeli drone exploded on Thursday during an inspection at the crash site in the Naqoura area, not far from Lebanon's border with Israel. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun offered condolences to the soldiers who were killed and injured, stressing that the military "is paying, in blood, the price of preserving stability in the south" of the country. The deadly incident came as Israel has been carrying out near-daily attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire reached with Hezbollah in November. It also coincides with a United Nations Security Council vote to wind down a UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, which has for decades been tasked with maintaining a buffer between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces.

Lebanon's president says his country wants peace but not normalisation with Israel, as health authorities said an Israeli air strike killed one person in the south of the country. As well as causing one death on Friday, the drone attack on a car in Nabatieh district wounded five other people, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Health. It comes as Israel continues to launch regular strikes against sites in Lebanon, particularly in the south, despite a November 27 ceasefire agreement between it and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Under the terms of the truce, Hezbollah had to retreat to the north of the Litani River, which is about 30km (20 miles) from the Israeli border, while Israel had to fully withdraw its troops, leaving only the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers in the area. However, Israel still occupies five strategic locations in southern Lebanon.

A senior United States envoy has praised the Lebanese government's response to a US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah amid Israel's continued military presence in the country. Thomas Barrack, an adviser to US President Donald Trump who serves as Washington's ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, returned to Beirut on Monday after delivering the US proposal during a June 19 visit. The plan called for the Shia Lebanese group Hezbollah to fully disarm within four months in exchange for a halt to Israeli air strikes and the full withdrawal of Israel's military from the five positions it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon. "What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time," Barrack told reporters on Monday after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. "I'm unbelievably satisfied with the response." While Barrack confirmed that he had received a seven-page reply from the Lebanese side, he offered no details on its contents.

BEIRUT – Lebanese army gunners opened fired at two of three Israeli reconnaissance drones Wednesday after they entered Lebanese airspace, a security official and the state news agency said, amid heightened tensions between the two countries. The incident occurred in the village of Adeisseh, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. The security official told The Associated Press that the drones left Lebanese airspace after being fired on and that none of them was shot down. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The incident came just days after an alleged Israeli drone crashed in a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, landing on the militant group's Beirut media office while another exploded midair and crashed nearby. Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, called it an act of aggression and vowed to retaliate and confront Israeli drones in Lebanese skies from now on.

Early Tuesday, Hezbollah changed its description of the first drone, saying that it had been carrying 12 pounds of explosives. The group's officials had previously said the first drone was for surveillance while the second was laden with explosives. Hezbollah is a political party represented in the Lebanese government as well as the country's most formidable military force. It fought a devastating war against Israel in 2006 and has more recently sent fighters to help President Bashar al-Assad of Syria fight rebels seeking to overthrow him. Israel and Iran have long been staunch enemies, but the conflict has heated up recently as Israel has increasingly attacked armed groups that Iran backs to extend its influence in the Arab world.