3 killed in Israeli airstrike on S. Lebanese town

12/12/2024 6:16

An Israeli airstrike targeted a neighborhood in the town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon Wednesday evening, killing three people, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.

Earlier in the day, three others were killed and one more injured in Israeli airstrikes on the town of Khiam and the villages of Aainata and Beit Lif, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

Also on Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the five-member monitoring committee to work to stop Israel's violations of a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

"It is also required to ensure Israel's complete withdrawal from all the areas it occupies and its actual commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701," Mikati said in a statement released by his office.

Noting the army units' deployment to Khiam and Marjeyoun towns, Mikati said the reinforcement represents a fundamental step in implementing the ceasefire deal.

The Lebanese army said in a statement on Wednesday that its units, in coordination with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, were stationed in five locations surrounding Khiam in the border area of southern Lebanon.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, brokered by the United States and France, went into effect on Nov. 27, aiming to halt over 14 months of fighting between the two sides.

Under the agreement, Israel will withdraw from Lebanese territory within 60 days, the Lebanese army will be deployed on the border, and Hezbollah will retreat north of the Litani River.

Despite the truce, tensions remain as both sides exchange accusations of ceasefire violations, raising concerns about the agreement's durability.