Lebanon says three killed in ‘Israeli’ strike on vehicle near Sidon

• An ‘Israeli’ drone strike killed three people in a vehicle near Sidon on Monday, as ‘Israel’ continues to target what it describes as Hezbollah operatives despite the ongoing November 2024 ceasefire.
• The escalation comes as Lebanon enters the final days of a year-end deadline to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani River, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asserting that the first phase of the state's weapons consolidation plan is nearly complete.

Lebanon said three people were killed Monday in a strike near Sidon that ‘Israel’ claimed targeted Hezbollah operatives, days ahead of a deadline for Lebanon's army to disarm the group near the border.

‘Israel’ has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah, despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with the Iran-backed group, which it accuses of rearming.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Monday's strike on a vehicle was carried out by an ‘Israeli’ drone around 10 kilometres (six miles) from the southern coastal city of Sidon and "killed three people who were inside".

The health ministry reported the same toll.

An ‘Israeli’ military statement said the army "struck several Hezbollah terrorists in the area of Sidon".

Under heavy US pressure and amid fears of expanded ‘Israeli’ strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah, starting with the south.

The Lebanese army plans to carry out the task south of the Litani River -- about 30 kilometres from the border with ‘Israel’ -- by year's end.

The latest strike came after Lebanese and ‘Israeli’ civilian representatives on Friday took part in a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring committee for a second time, after holding their first direct talks in decades earlier this month, also under the committee's auspices.

The committee comprises representatives from Lebanon, ‘Israel’, the United States, France and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that the goal of the negotiations was to "stop the hostilities, achieve ‘Israel's’ withdrawal, return prisoners held in ‘Israel’ and return southern residents to their villages".

“Days away”

‘Israel’ has also kept troops in five south Lebanon areas that it deems strategic.

"Lebanon awaits positive steps from the Israeli side," Aoun told visiting Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on Monday, a presidency statement said.

In a separate statement, Crosetto said that "even after UNIFIL, Italy will continue to do its part, supporting with conviction the international presence and supporting the capacity development of the Lebanese armed forces".

Asked by AFP if this meant Italy wanted to maintain a military presence in the country, a ministry spokesman confirmed that was the case.

UNIFIL has acted as a buffer between ‘Israel’ and Lebanon since 1978, but the UN Security Council voted in August to withdraw the peacekeepers in 2027.

Aoun said Lebanon "welcomes the participation of Italy and other European countries in any force that takes the place" of UNIFIL.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the first phase of the plan to restrict weapons to the state south of the Litani River was "days away from completion", according to a statement from his office.

"The state is ready to move to the second phase, north of the Litani River, based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army," he added.

More than 340 people have been killed by ‘Israeli’ fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to a tally of Lebanese health ministry reports.

On Sunday, ‘Israeli’ strikes in south Lebanon near the border killed one person and wounded another, as ‘Israel’ also claimed it targeted Hezbollah members.