Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill 4, including a child, Lebanese health ministry says

BEIRUT, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Israeli forces killed four people, including a child, in southern Lebanon on Monday, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported, citing the health ministry, in two separate strikes that the Israeli military said targeted members of the Shi’ite Muslim armed group Hezbollah.

In a third incident, Israeli forces seized an official from Jama’a Islamiya, a Lebanese Sunni Islamist group, during a raid, according to the group and Hezbollah. The Israeli military described him as a “senior terrorist” and said he was transferred to Israel for questioning.

Israel has carried out regular strikes in Lebanon since its 2024 war with Hezbollah, killing around 400 people since a ceasefire, according to a toll from Lebanese security sources.

Three of the fatalities, including a three-year-old child were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the village of Yanouh, NNA reported, citing the health ministry.

The Israeli military said it had killed a Hezbollah militant in a strike in the area of Yanouh, identifying him as the head of Hezbollah’s artillery in the area, and saying he carried out numerous attacks on Israel during the war, and was working to rehabilitate Hezbollah’s artillery capabilities.

The Israeli military said it was “aware of the claim that uninvolved civilians were killed”, that steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians including use of precise munitions and surveillance, and that it regretted harm to uninvolved civilians. “The incident is under review,” it said.

The fourth fatality was in the border village of Aita al-Shaab, where the Lebanese health ministry said a man was killed by Israeli gunfire, NNA reported.

The Israeli military said its troops “eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist” in Aita al-Shaab, saying he was “involved in gathering intelligence on IDF troops and operated to rehabilitate Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure”.

Hezbollah, in a statement, said the incidents marked a “dangerous escalation” and “signals the beginning of a new phase of Israeli aggression.”

Israel has accused Hezbollah of seeking to rearm in violation of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon. Hezbollah says it has respected the ceasefire in southern Lebanon.

The official from Jama’a Islamiya, which fired rockets at Israel during the Gaza war, was seized from the village of Habbariyeh, near the southern town of Hasbaiyaa, in the early hours.

(Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Diane Craft)