By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): One person was killed on Friday when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle in southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s state news agency reported, as Israel claimed it had targeted a Hezbollah operative despite an ongoing ceasefire.
The National News Agency (NNA) said the strike hit a car in the al-Assi area on the outskirts of the town of Seddiqin in the Tyre district.
The person inside the vehicle was killed, the agency reported, without giving further details.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had carried out a strike in the Seddiqin area targeting a Hezbollah member. Hezbollah did not immediately comment.
Later on Friday evening, fresh Israeli airstrikes targeted several locations across southern Lebanon, according to NNA. The agency said a series of strikes hit villages in the Zahrani district, with explosions heard as far away as the coastal city of Sidon.
Additional strikes targeted a valley between al-Mseilih, Tuffahata and al-Najjariyah, while Israeli warplanes also carried out intense strikes from around 7.30pm on valleys between the towns of Zefta and al-Nmeiriyeh, as well as between Azza and Kafra, NNA said.
The heavy bombardment caused electricity outages in several areas, including Tuffahata, al-Mseilih, al-Najjariyah, al-Dadawiyah and al-Maamariyah. No casualties were reported.
The Israeli army claimed the strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon.
Israeli ceasefire violations have killed and wounded hundreds of Lebanese, according to Lebanese authorities, while Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, in addition to other areas it has occcupied for decades.
Israel began military operations against Lebanon in October 2023, escalating into a full-scale war in September 2024. More than 4,000 people were killed and around 17,000 wounded during the conflict, Lebanese officials say.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Information Minister Paul Morcos condemned the killing of a television presenter working for Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV, who was killed in an Israeli attack on the southern city of Tyre on January 27.
The minister said presenter Ali Nour el-Din’s killing was part of Israel’s repeated violations of international law.
“We declare our solidarity and condolences to the media family, and call on the international community to fully assume its responsibilities and take urgent action to put an end to these violations and ensure the protection of media professionals in Lebanon,” Morcos said in a social media post.
Al-Manar TV confirmed that Nour el-Din presented religious programmes for the channel.
At least six Lebanese journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks since 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, while other monitors put the number at 10.
Separately, Lebanon announced plans to transfer more than 300 Syrian prisoners to Syria under a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said the Lebanese cabinet approved the agreement following a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, chaired by President Joseph Aoun and attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
The deal applies to convicted Syrian prisoners who have served more than 10 years in Lebanese jails, equivalent to around seven years of effective imprisonment, Mitri said, without providing further details.
Official estimates place the number of Syrians held in Lebanese prisons at about 2,500, roughly one-third of the country’s total prison population.
Lebanon and Syria have renewed diplomatic engagement since the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, with officials from both sides seeking to resolve outstanding issues and strengthen bilateral cooperation.
[Photo: A view of the destruction after Israeli attack on town of Kfour, Nabatieh, Lebanon on January 22, 2026. Photojournalist: Houssam Shbaro/AA]
