Five people including three U.S. children killed in Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon

An Israeli drone strike killed five people, including three children and their father, all U.S. citizens on Sunday in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. Two others were wounded, including their mother, in what Lebanese officials condemned as a blatant attack on civilians.

The strike, which hit a vehicle and a motorbike, comes amid Israel’s frequent targeting of what it calls Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November intended to halt hostilities. 

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the father and his three children held U.S. citizenship; their mother was wounded.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hezbollah member who was allegedly operating from a civilian area and acknowledged that civilians were among the casualties. 

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attack via a post on X (formerly Twitter), calling it a “blatant crime against civilians” and a message of intimidation toward people returning to southern villages.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also denounced the strike as a “massacre” and urged the international community to pressure Israel to adhere to ceasefire terms.

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