An Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle near the Lebanon-Syria border killed four people, with Israel saying the strike targeted Islamic Jihad operatives.
At least four people were killed after an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle near Lebanon’s border with Syria, Lebanese authorities said, underlining continued hostilities along Israel’s northern front despite an existing truce.
According to AFP, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone struck a car in the Majdal Anjar area near the Lebanese-Syrian border on Sunday.
The country’s health ministry confirmed that four people were killed in the attack.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had targeted operatives belonging to the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.
Al Jazeera reported that the strike took place early Monday morning and identified one of those killed as Syrian national Khaled Mohammad al-Ahmad, citing Lebanese media.
The Israeli military confirmed the raid in a post on X, claiming the operation targeted members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Lebanon, though it did not provide evidence supporting the claim.
AFP noted that the attack appeared to be the first strike Israel has publicly claimed in Lebanon against Islamic Jihad since a November 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Despite the truce, Israel has continued conducting periodic strikes in Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah fighters but occasionally also striking Palestinian factions allied with the group, including Hamas.
Islamic Jihad fighters were among those killed in Lebanon during clashes that erupted in October 2023 following the Gaza war.
During that period, both Islamic Jihad and Hamas claimed responsibility for attacks and infiltration attempts launched from Lebanese territory.
More than 370 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect, according to an AFP tally based on Lebanese health ministry figures.
Lebanon has since taken steps aligned with the truce.
The Lebanese army announced in January that it had completed the first phase of a government plan to disarm Hezbollah in areas near the Israeli border.
Some Palestinian factions in refugee camps also handed over weapons to Lebanese authorities last year, though Hamas and Islamic Jihad have not announced plans to disarm.
The latest strike comes against the backdrop of the long-running Israel-Palestinian conflict that has repeatedly spilt over to neighbouring Lebanon.
Tensions across the region remain closely tied to unresolved disputes over Palestinian statehood and Israeli control of territories captured during the 1967 Middle East war.
The vision of a two-state solution, long supported by international powers, has faced mounting challenges amid continued violence and political disagreements.
