BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on Lebanon’s Bekaa region killed one person and wounded two others on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, despite an ongoing truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
“One person was killed and two others were wounded as a result of an attack carried out by an enemy drone at dawn on the outskirts of Al-Jabur in West Bekaa,” Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The Israeli military said it was unaware of the strike in Bekaa Valley on Wednesday.
Hezbollah on Tuesday said it had launched rockets and attack drones at a site in northern Israel in response to “blatant” Israeli ceasefire violations, which it said included “attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages.”
The Israeli military said that day that Hezbollah “launched several rockets” toward soldiers stationed in south Lebanon and that the military struck the launcher in response.
NNA on Wednesday reported Israeli artillery shelling and demolitions in southern towns Israel currently occupies.
Israel FM calls on Lebanon to ‘work together’ with Israel
Israel’s foreign minister on Wednesday urged Beirut to make joint efforts with Israel to counter the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, ahead of talks between the countries set to resume in Washington.
“Tomorrow the direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will resume in Washington DC. I call on the government of Lebanon — let’s work together against the terror state that Hezbollah built in your territory,” Gideon Saar said in a speech to diplomats at a function marking Israel’s 78th Independence Day.
“This cooperation is needed by you even more than by us. It requires moral clarity and the courage to take risks. But there is no real alternative for ensuring a future of peace for you and for us.”
Israel and Lebanon, which have no diplomatic relations, will hold fresh talks in Washington on Thursday, a State Department official told AFP.
Israel conducted huge airstrikes across Lebanon and invaded the south after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran on March 2.
Despite a truce which began on Friday, Israeli soldiers are still active in south Lebanon, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying last week they would use “full force” if threatened.
Under the truce terms, Israel says it reserves the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”
