Israel-Lebanon – Four Killed in Border Drone Strike
Israel-Lebanon – Lebanon reported that four people were killed in an Israeli drone strike near the Syrian border on Sunday.
Lebanese authorities said the attack occurred in the eastern part of the country, close to the frontier with Syria. According to the state-run National News Agency, a drone targeted a vehicle in the Majdal Anjar area, leaving four people dead inside the car. The country’s health ministry later confirmed the fatalities in an official statement.
Israeli Military Identifies Target
The Israeli military acknowledged carrying out the strike, stating that it had targeted operatives belonging to Islamic Jihad in the Majdal Anjar region. In its statement, Israel described those hit in the operation as members of the Palestinian armed group.
This appears to be the first time since the November 2024 ceasefire that Israel has publicly said it struck Islamic Jihad members inside Lebanon. While Israel has continued to conduct operations in Lebanese territory following the truce, its previous statements have largely focused on actions against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese movement.
Ceasefire Yet Continued Operations
The ceasefire reached in November 2024 was intended to halt more than a year of cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. That conflict escalated in October 2023 in parallel with the Gaza war, leading to frequent exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon boundary.
Despite the truce, Israeli forces have maintained intermittent strikes in Lebanon. Israeli officials typically justify these actions as measures against Hezbollah positions or infrastructure. However, Palestinian factions operating in Lebanon, including Islamic Jihad and Hamas, have also been linked to attacks launched from Lebanese territory during the earlier phase of fighting.
Fighters affiliated with Islamic Jihad were reported among those killed in Lebanon during the period of heightened clashes between Israel and Hezbollah. Both Islamic Jihad and Hamas claimed responsibility for certain rocket launches and attempted infiltrations from southern Lebanon during that time.
Casualties Since the Truce
According to an AFP tally based on data released by Lebanon’s health ministry, more than 370 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire came into effect. The figures underscore the fragile nature of the truce and the continued volatility along the border.
Sunday’s strike near the Syrian frontier broadens the geographic focus of Israeli operations, which have frequently centered on southern Lebanon. The Majdal Anjar area lies in the eastern Bekaa Valley, not far from key transit routes between Lebanon and Syria.
Disarmament Efforts Underway
In line with the ceasefire terms, the Lebanese government has been working to assert greater control over armed groups operating within its territory. In January, the Lebanese army announced it had completed the initial phase of a national plan to disarm Hezbollah in areas close to the Israeli border.
As part of broader state efforts to reduce the presence of non-state weapons, some Palestinian factions in Lebanon handed over arms in several refugee camps last year. The move was presented by authorities as a step toward strengthening state sovereignty and limiting the risk of renewed conflict.
However, neither Hamas nor Islamic Jihad has publicly committed to disarming in Lebanon. Their continued presence, combined with Israel’s stated policy of targeting militant operatives, raises ongoing concerns about the stability of the ceasefire.
Sunday’s incident highlights the delicate balance that has held since late 2024. While large-scale hostilities have subsided compared to the peak of fighting, targeted strikes and sporadic violence continue to test the durability of the agreement and the broader security landscape in the region.