Israel targets Hezbollah in southern Lebanon following ceasefire

The Israeli army said Friday it had struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon after detecting activity in the area two days after the start of a ceasefire.

“A short while ago, terrorist activity and movement of a Hezbollah portable rocket launcher were identified in southern Lebanon. The threat was thwarted in an (Israeli Air Force) strike”, the army said in a statement that featured a video of the air strike on a slowly moving truck.

The truce, which started on Wednesday, ended a conflict that began the day after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, killing thousands in Lebanon and sparking mass displacements in both Lebanon and Israel.

The Israeli military has also announced a nighttime curfew in south Lebanon for the third day in a row, warning residents it is “strictly forbidden to move or travel south of the Litani River” between 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Friday and 07:00 AM (0500 GMT) the following day.

Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 3,961 people have been killed in the country since October 2023 as a result of the conflict, most of them in recent weeks, while 16,520 were wounded.

On the Israeli side, the hostilities with Hezbollah killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities there say.