Six killed in Israeli drone strike in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Six people were killed and two others injured in an Israeli drone strike targeting the al-Shaara area near the town of Janta in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley.

Israeli warplanes were conducting intensive mid-altitude flights over southern Lebanon, while the Israeli military carried out a detonation operation in the village of Adaisseh, located in the eastern sector of the border region in southern Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

As tensions rose, several municipalities in western and central southern Lebanon issued warnings to residents, journalists, and visitors about the presence of landmines left behind by Israeli forces, some of which had been turned into traps targeting civilians, according to the NNA.

Hours later, the Israeli military said its air force had struck a Hezbollah target in the Bekaa Valley. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed the strike targeted a "strategic weapons manufacturing and storage site" belonging to Hezbollah, describing the activity at the site as a "broad violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon."

Despite the ceasefire that took effect in November 2024, ending a year-long conflict between Hamas and Israel, Israeli forces have continued to carry out sporadic attacks in Lebanon, citing violations of the ceasefire agreement by Hezbollah.

The Lebanese government has repeatedly condemned the Israeli attacks. After Israel failed to meet an initial withdrawal deadline from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese authorities extended the deadline to 18 February.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese army said that it had ordered troops deployed along the Syrian border to retaliate against fire originating from Syrian territory.

The army, in a statement, said it had acted on directives from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, ordering military units along the northern and eastern borders to respond to sources of fire coming from Syrian territory and targeting Lebanese areas.

The statement added that units had begun responding with "appropriate weapons" following recent clashes that saw several Lebanese areas shelled and fired upon, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported an expanded army deployment to new positions on the outskirts of Hermel, near the Syrian border. It said an army observation tower was reportedly hit by an artillery shell from Syria, causing only material damage.

Municipalities in the Hermel district issued a statement calling on the Lebanese state to intervene to protect civilians following repeated attacks on Lebanese villages from Syria. They said the Lebanese army must take full responsibility amid the ongoing tension and work to put an end to these hostile acts.

The NNA also reported that the Lebanese Red Cross had transported eight people to hospitals in Hermel after they were injured in shelling in the northern border region. It said shelling from Syria struck the towns of Zakiyah, Ard al-Sabea, Sahlat al-Maa, and Qanafez, injuring civilians.

The interim government in Syria previously said that it had carried out military operations near the Syria-Lebanon border to crack down on smugglers and dismantle smuggling routes.