Israel kills municipal worker at water well in south Lebanon: Mayor

According to Nabatieh al-Fawqa Mayor Zein Ali Ghandour, an Israeli drone strike that killed one person in a village in south Lebanon targeted a municipal worker operating a water well and not a Hezbollah member as the Israeli military had claimed.

Mahmoud Hasan Atwi, who was on his official duty to provide water to the town’s residents, was “martyred,” according to Ghandour on Thursday.

The Lebanese state and its institutions, as well as the blatant aggression against civilians and civilian infrastructure, the mayor declared in a statement.

Ghandour demanded that Israel’s violations be brought to an end and that the international community press the issue.

The Israeli military had claimed to have fired at a “Hezbollah operative” who it claimed was “rehabilitating a site” used by the organization.

Israel has been carrying out near-daily attacks in Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire agreement it and Hezbollah signed in November last year, resulting in primarily civilian casualties and injuries.

The Israeli military carried out a string of airstrikes across southern Lebanon last week that it claimed targeted Hezbollah infrastructure.

On the Lebanese side of the border, Israel has regular fires at civilian targets and fields.

At least one person was hurt when an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on Beit Lif, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Thursday.

In accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, Israel claims that its attacks are part of a ceasefire that requires Hezbollah to withdraw its forces about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border.

However, Israeli forces have been conducting strikes throughout the entire nation, not just along the river. This year, Israel bombed Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, several times.

In the Dahiyeh suburbs of Beirut in early April, an Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah official and critically injured three others.

In violation of the truce, Israeli troops continue to occupy some of southern Lebanon.

Following months of low-level hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel that were largely restricted to the border area, the ceasefire last year put an end to an intense Israeli bombing campaign.

After losing its top political and military leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah, its long-time leader, in Israeli attacks, Hezbollah came out of the war weaker.

Hezbollah has not responded to Israeli violations since the war’s conclusion, claiming that it is assisting the Lebanese state by launching diplomatic operations to stop the attacks. However, the organization has expressed concern that its patience may be running out.

However, it’s not clear whether Hezbollah can confront Israel militarily as it was able to do for decades, including putting an abrupt end to Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon in 2000 and bringing an end to the conflict in 2006 after the devastating blows it experienced.

Officials in Lebanon, including President Joseph Aoun, have repeatedly urged Israel to put an end to its abuses by France and the United States, who were the main supporters of the ceasefire agreement.