By Middle East Correspondent
LONDON, (The Muslim News): Two civilians were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes on towns in southern Lebanon within a 12-hour period, the Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed on Monday. According to the ministry, the first strike hit a van in the town of Hanine, while the second targeted a car in Tallouseh.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) identified one of the victims as Mohammad Tahsin Hussein Qashqash. He was reportedly preparing to drive students to school when a drone strike hit his van outside his home in Hanine. The attack set his vehicle and a nearby sports utility vehicle ablaze after multiple missiles were fired. Civil Defence teams extinguished the fire and transferred his body to Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil. In a separate development, NNA reported that Israeli forces advanced towards the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab and Ramyeh, where they rigged a house with explosives and demolished it.
The Israeli military said it had killed a Lebanese man it accused of attempting to rebuild Hezbollah military infrastructure in southern Lebanon but did not disclose his identity. It further claimed that over the past week, its 91st Division had killed three individuals it described as Hezbollah members and destroyed several buildings and engineering vehicles allegedly used for “hostile plans” in the area. Later, the army said it had targeted a Hezbollah member in Tallouseh, without providing further details.
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah have not immediately responded to the Israeli claims. The strikes come amid repeated Israeli violations of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement. Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the war that began in October 2023, in addition to other territories it has held for decades. The broader conflict has killed more than 4,000 people and injured 17,000 in Lebanon.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for international pressure on Israel to halt what he described as ongoing ceasefire breaches. “Lebanon and the Lebanese people do not want war and will not accept the Israeli occupation of their land,” Berri said during a meeting in Beirut with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “We cannot succumb to these daily violations and attacks.” A statement from Berri’s office said he reaffirmed Lebanon’s full commitment to the ceasefire and discussed regional developments and bilateral ties with Steinmeier.
Israeli forces kill a Palestinian youth in West Bank
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, an 18-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces near a separation barrier close to Qalqilya, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. He was struck in the chest and later pronounced dead in hospital.
Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, Israeli military operations and settlement expansion have intensified across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Official figures indicate that at least 1,114 Palestinians, including 230 children, have been killed and nearly 11,500 injured in the territory during that period.
Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 Palestinian athletes in Gaza
In Gaza, the Palestinian Olympic Committee reported that at least 1,007 Palestinian athletes have been killed and 265 sports facilities destroyed since October 2023. Speaking at a press conference, the committee’s Vice President, Asaad Al-Majdalawi, said 45 women were among those killed. He added that 184 facilities had been completely destroyed and 81 partially damaged, depriving thousands of young people of access to training and sport. Majdalawi also highlighted the psychological and social toll, including trauma among athletes and the disruption of development programmes.
A US-backed ceasefire that took effect on October 10 halted Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, which has killed more than 72,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 since October 2023. However, Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of violations since the truce began, killing 603 Palestinians and injuring 1,618 others. Medical sources in Gaza reported Monday that the overall death toll since October 7, 2023, has risen to 72,063, with 171,726 people injured. In the past 24 hours alone, two people were killed and 11 wounded, while others remain trapped under rubble as rescue teams struggle to reach them.
UN condemns Israel classifying areas of West Bank as ‘state property’
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, on Monday condemned Israel’s decision to classify areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property.” His spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said the February 15 decision to resume land registration procedures in Area C could dispossess Palestinians and expand Israeli control. “Such measures, including Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, are not only destabilising but, as recalled by the International Court of Justice, unlawful,” Dujarric said, urging Israel to reverse the move. Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defence Minister Israel Katz submitted the proposal. Palestinians say the measures amount to de facto annexation and threaten the viability of a two-state solution.
Sinn Fein to boycott St Patrick’s Day events in White House due to Gaza war
In Ireland, Sinn Féin announced it will boycott St Patrick’s Day events at the White House for the second consecutive year, citing the ongoing war in Gaza. Party president Mary Lou McDonald said conditions in Gaza and the West Bank remain dire. “The situation on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank remains dire. Israeli attacks on Gaza have not ended. The genocide continues,” she said, adding that Sinn Féin would continue to advocate for international law and justice. Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill also confirmed she would not attend this year’s White House events, while emphasizing the importance of Irish-American ties and ongoing cooperation.
[Photo: Palestinian children watch Israeli army demolishing three-story building belonging to them and other Palestinians, claiming it is “unlicensed” in the village of al-Kidhr, Bethlehem, West Bank on February 17, 2026. Photojournalist: Wisam Hashlamoun/AA]
