Israeli airstrike targets outskirts of Lebanese town of Al-Qantara: Reports

An Israeli airstrike targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Al-Qantara while Israeli artillery shelled the town of Al-Mansouri in the same region, local media reports said early Monday. In the town of Kafra in Bint Jbeil district, an explosive-laden drone struck a house, damaging part of it and injuring two civilians. The town had also reportedly been targeted earlier by a quadcopter. Additional strikes and military activity were reported around the Ali al-Taher ridge, near Dawhat Kfar Rumman, in Deir Siryan and in Al-Qantara along Wadi al-Hujair, where an Israeli tank reportedly entered the area. Some residents believe the repeated attacks are intended to pressure people into leaving their communities and to punish areas associated with support for the resistance. Following a strike in Ansar on Saturday that reportedly killed seven members of one family and injured three others, residents also expressed deep skepticism toward government claims that direct negotiations with Israel would lead to peace. Israeli attacks continued across southern Lebanon on Sunday, with explosions, demolitions and artillery fire reportedly occurring every one to two hours. The Israeli army also carried out an attack Sunday on the town of Hadatha in Bint Jbeil district despite an ongoing ceasefire. Israeli soldiers opened fire with automatic weapons on a western neighborhood, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA). Israeli military vehicles were also reportedly moving inside the town at the same time. The Israeli army launched intensive airstrikes on Lebanon on March 2 and occupied several towns in the country’s south. The Lebanese government said the number of people displaced during the escalation had exceeded 1 million. A ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel that took effect on April 17 was later extended several times. Despite the truce, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on Lebanon in the early hours of Aug. 15. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 4,346 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on the country since March 2.