KHALDEH, Lebanon (AP) — An Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle on a highway in Khaldeh, a town situated just south of Beirut, resulting in the death of one individual and injuries to three others, as reported by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency on Thursday.
The Israeli military confirmed through a statement that the strike aimed at “a saboteur involved in arms smuggling and advancing terrorist plots against Israeli citizens and the Israeli Defense Forces on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force.” However, it remains unclear whether the individual killed was the intended target of the attack.
This incident unfolds amid a tense backdrop marked by a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that ostensibly concluded the most recent conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in November 2024. Despite the ceasefire, Israel has maintained a pattern of near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon, targeting what it claims are Hezbollah officials and facilities, as well as those linked to other militant groups. Since the ceasefire, Hezbollah has retaliated with at least one strike directed at Israel.
Most of the Israeli operations have primarily concentrated in southern Lebanon, although there have been several strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut since the cessation of hostilities. The recent drone strike occurred in a densely populated area that lies in proximity to Lebanon's sole commercial airport, raising concerns about civilian casualties and the potential escalation of violence.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, from November 28—shortly after the ceasefire took effect—until the end of June 2025, approximately 250 individuals lost their lives, while over 609 sustained injuries due to Israeli attacks within Lebanon. The broader implications of these strikes have further strained the already volatile situation in the region.
On the same day as the Khaldeh strike, members of Hezbollah and its supporters gathered in the southern suburbs of Beirut to conduct a funeral for Abu Ali Khalil, a former bodyguard and security chief for Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's long-serving leader. Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike in Iran the previous month, alongside his son. The relationship between Hezbollah and the Iranian Quds Force underscores a complex alliance that has significant geopolitical implications, particularly in the context of Iran-Israel tensions and ongoing hostilities in the region.
The events unfolding in Lebanon highlight a critical juncture in Middle Eastern geopolitics, marked by persistent conflicts, retaliatory violence, and a fragile ceasefire. The repercussions of the Khaldeh drone strike, along with the ongoing airstrikes by Israel, illustrate the precarious balance within which Lebanon finds itself amid external and internal pressures.
