3 killed in Israeli drone strike on S. Lebanon: sources

BEIRUT, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed Monday in an Israeli drone strike deep in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese sources.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that the strike "targeted a car on the Aaqtnait-Quneitra-Maamariyah road in the Sidon district," killing three people inside it. The Public Health Ministry's Emergency Operations Center also confirmed the strike and the death toll.

A Lebanese security source told Xinhua that the three victims were "Hassan Issa, Ali Abdallah, and Mustafa Ballout," declining to mention their party affiliations.

Earlier in the day, an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that the Israel Defense Forces "struck several Hezbollah terrorists in the area of Sidon in southern Lebanon."

A ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel has been in force since Nov. 27, 2024.

Despite the deal, Israel has continued to carry out occasional strikes in Lebanon, saying they are aimed at eliminating Hezbollah threats.

Earlier this month, the two countries held their first direct talks in southern Lebanon's Naqoura, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "a first attempt to lay the groundwork for relations and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon."

On Friday, the two sides held talks again as part of a security dialogue, focusing on Hezbollah's disarmament and the return of residents to their homes in Lebanon's southern border villages, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. ■