At least three killed in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon’s Sidon

According to the country’s National News Agency (NNA), at least three people have been killed in an Israeli attack near Sidon, in a recent Israeli breach of a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

NNA reported on Monday that the Israeli-led airstrike on a vehicle on Quneitra Road in the southern Sidon district left three people dead.

Without providing further details, the Israeli military claimed in a statement that it had targeted Hezbollah members in the Sidon region.

One person was killed and two others were hurt in another Israeli attack in southern Lebanon on Sunday, which came the day before. Hezbollah members were killed in that attack, according to the Israeli army.

Israel has carried out nearly daily attacks across Lebanon, particularly in the south, that have drawn widespread condemnation, in addition to repeatedly breaking the November 2024 ceasefire agreement with the Lebanese group.

Almost 1,600 Israeli forces attacked Lebanon between January and late November, according to information from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).

Since the ceasefire’s implementation, the UN human rights office has urged a “prompt and impartial” investigation into the deaths of at least 127 civilians in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since late last month.

In southern Lebanon, delegations meet.

Despite the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, which allows for Hezbollah’s disarmament in some southern Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, Israel’s attacks continue.

Nawaf Salam, the prime minister, claimed on Saturday that Lebanon was close to completing Hezbollah’s disarmament of the Litani River region.

The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers are only permitted to operate in the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border, according to UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Hezbollah has long refrained from calling for total devastation, arguing that its weapons are required to protect Lebanon from Israeli attacks and occupation.

Naim Qassem, the head of Hezbollah, has stated repeatedly that in accordance with the ceasefire that the organization will cease its military operations south of the Litani River. However, he claims it will keep its weapons elsewhere in Lebanon.

Israeli forces were also required to completely withdraw from southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River, by January in accordance with the ceasefire agreement of 2024. However, Israeli forces only partially retreated, and five Lebanese border outposts remain operational.

While Israeli forces are stationed in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah officials have previously stated that the organization will not fully fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire.

As Israel and the United States increase their pressure on Hezbollah to disarm, a committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement is holding discussions in southern Lebanon.

In closed-door discussions, civil and military delegations from Israel and Lebanon convened on Friday in the southern town of Naqoura.

Simon Karam, the country’s top civilian negotiator, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with him after the discussions.

Hezbollah has expressed opposition to Karam’s appointment because he previously served as the US ambassador to Lebanon.

Aoun, the president of Lebanon, stated in a statement that the agreement’s “entry point” should be “an entry point for addressing all other details.”

Aoun stated that January 7 is the committee’s scheduled meeting date.