By Elham Asaad Buaras
London, (The Muslim News): A fragile ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border was severely tested on Sunday as Israeli airstrikes killed at least three people in southern and eastern Lebanon, in what local authorities described as the latest violation of the truce agreement.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that one person was killed in a strike on a car in Naqoura, within the Tyre district. Separately, the state news agency NNA stated that a third individual was killed and two others wounded in a drone strike in the town of Al-Hafir al-Fawqa, west of Baalbek. In the Baalbek district itself, an official statement confirmed that an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle in the town of Nabi Chit, killing one person.
The Israeli army confirmed the attacks, asserting that they targeted three members of the Hezbollah group. These strikes occur against a backdrop of a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024, which stipulated a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon by January 2025. To date, however, the Israeli military has only partially pulled out its troops and continues to maintain a presence at five border outposts.
The day’s hostilities also directly impacted the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). In a statement, UNIFIL reported that one of its patrols came under grenade fire from an Israeli drone and tank fire near Kfar Kila. The force condemned the attacks, stating they “are in violation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and Lebanon’s sovereignty, and show disregard for safety and security of the peacekeepers implementing Security Council-mandated tasks in southern Lebanon.” No injuries or damage were reported from this incident.
Separately, the peacekeeping mission noted that an Israeli drone flew over a UNIFIL patrol in the same area, prompting peacekeepers to take defensive measures to neutralise it. UNIFIL, which was significantly reinforced under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 after the 2006 war, has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978.
PARALLEL UNREST IN THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, a separate wave of violence claimed the life of a young Palestinian. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Mohammad Shaour, 20, was killed by Israeli army fire near the town of Ad-Dhahiriya, south of Hebron.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) was active across the region, transferring a young man to hospital after he was shot in the leg near a separation barrier in Al-Ram, north of East Jerusalem. In the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, eyewitnesses reported Israeli forces raiding amid gunfire. The PRCS said two people were critically injured in that incident and hospitalised. Official news agency Wafa also reported that a Palestinian child was shot and wounded during an Israeli raid in Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah.
These latest incidents contribute to a grim toll, with authorities stating that more than 1,059 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, and 10,300 wounded by Israeli forces since October 2023. This ongoing conflict persists despite a landmark opinion from the International Court of Justice last July, which declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
ISRAELI WASTE REPORTED DUMPED IN GAZA
In a related development, Israeli media reported on Sunday that the Israeli army has been permitting large quantities of waste and construction debris from settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip to be transported into the Palestinian enclave.
The daily Haaretz reported that trucks from a private company have been advancing 200–300 metres inside Gaza to unload their cargo along roadsides, rather than at designated disposal sites. The paper, citing security officers, stated that “field commanders have issued instructions allowing trucks belonging to private companies to enter the Gaza Strip and dump their loads wherever they see fit.” According to the report, the Israeli army has denied knowledge of the matter.
[Photo: A view shows damaged buildings and debris in Mais al-Jabal municipality after an earlier Israeli attacks cause extensive destruction to homes, schools, and public facilities in Marjayoun district of Lebanon, on October 20, 2025. Photojournalist: Houssam Shbaro/AA]
