Israeli strike on Kfar Dounin kills two ahead of truce monitors' meeting

Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed two people on Tuesday as Israel said it targeted Hezbollah operatives, a day before a new meeting of the committee monitoring a year-long ceasefire.

Israel has intensified its strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon in recent days, saying it has struck targets from both the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group and its Palestinian ally Hamas.

Lebanon's health ministry said Tuesday's strike on south Lebanon's Kfar Dounin killed two people.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck two Hezbollah operatives in the area, accusing one of being "an engineering terrorist in a structure that facilitated the organization's reestablishment efforts".

Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel's army has carried out frequent strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is bombing sites and operatives belonging to the militant group, and occasionally Hamas.

In a statement earlier Tuesday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that "Israel's continued attacks aim to thwart all efforts made locally, regionally and internationally to stop the ongoing Israeli escalation, despite the response shown by Lebanon to these efforts at various levels".

A strike early Tuesday targeted Ghazieh, near the southern coastal city of Sidon, destroying a building, damaging its surroundings and causing a fire.

- 'Dangerous conditions' -

The Israeli military said its strikes in south and east Lebanon on Monday targeted Hezbollah and Hamas infrastructure, including "weapon storage facilities and military structures, both above and below ground".

The attacks come as the committee monitoring the ceasefire, which includes representatives from the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), prepared to meet on Wednesday.

Visiting U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on X that he met with UNIFIL peacekeepers who are "carrying out their mandated tasks under increasingly difficult and dangerous conditions".

Lacroix is set to meet Lebanese officials on Wednesday.

Later this week, Lebanon's cabinet will convene to discuss the army's progress in disarming Hezbollah, a plan launched under heavy U.S. pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli strikes.

The army was expected to complete the disarmament south of the Litani River -- about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border with Israel -- by the end of 2025, before tackling the rest of the country.

In his statement, Aoun said the government's plan to "extend its authority over the south of the Litani" has been "implemented by the Lebanese army with professionalism, commitment and precision".

Israel has previously questioned the Lebanese military's effectiveness and has accused Hezbollah of rearming.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday called the disarmament efforts far from sufficient.