Israeli attacks kill 4 in Lebanon, West Bank

Two people were killed and 10 others injured in Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon on Friday, reported Xinhua, quoting official and security sources.

The Public Health Emergency Operations Center of Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health confirmed in a statement that the Israeli airstrikes targeted Janta, a village in the Bekaa region, resulting in casualties.

A Lebanese security source, who requires anonymity, told Xinhua that "Israeli warplanes carried out four airstrikes at dawn on Friday, targeting Janta and illegal crossings along the Lebanese-Syrian border in eastern Lebanon."

The source added that "Israeli jets fired eight air-to-ground missiles at the targeted areas, causing several casualties, destroying a truck, and inflicting significant damage on illegal crossings linking Lebanon and Syria."

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that "Israeli warplanes launched several airstrikes at around 3:00 a.m. Friday on the eastern mountain range in the Bekaa region."

It added that "the strikes also hit a truck carrying batteries and scrap metal in the Al-Wawiyat area, and the Jabb Al-Ward crossing near the outskirts of the town of Hanider in eastern Lebanon."

A senior official from the Lebanese Civil Defense told Xinhua that rescue teams transported "two bodies and several wounded individuals from the targeted sites to hospitals in the Bekaa region," noting that "one of the injured is in critical condition, and rescue operations are still ongoing."

Since Nov. 27, 2024, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon has been in place, halting clashes that erupted between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on Oct. 8, 2023, amid the war in Gaza. The conflict escalated further in September 2024.

Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military continues to carry out strikes in Lebanon, claiming they are aimed at neutralizing Hezbollah threats.

The agreement set a 60-day deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, but this deadline expired on Jan. 26 without completion of the withdrawal.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian militants in Jenin, northern West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) said in a joint statement on Friday, reported Xinhua.

According to the statement, in a joint activity with ISA on Thursday, the IDF and additional forces encircled a structure and killed the two militants inside.

IDF soldiers had engaged in close-quarters combat with the two militants before killing them, during which an Israeli soldier was killed and five others injured.

Since January 21, the IDF, ISA, and Israel Border Police have been conducting a military campaign named "Iron Wall" in the West Bank's Jenin and Tulkarm to dismantle what they called "terrorist groups" and to maintain military control in the occupied territory.

Throughout the operation, dozens of Palestinian militants have been killed, wounded, or arrested, and numerous homes have been demolished.