Israel Claims to Target Hezbollah After Drone Strike Kills Three Civilians in Lebanon

An Israeli drone strike reportedly hit a vehicle in southern Lebanon, killing at least three people. The Tel Aviv military claimed its attacks on Lebanon targeted members of the Hezbollah group. However, Hezbollah stated that the Israeli strikes claimed the lives of three civilians in Lebanon, while a ceasefire is still in effect. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), as reported by AFP on Friday (26/6/2026), reported that an Israeli airstrike involving a drone killed three people on Thursday (25/6) local time. ‘Three people were killed and another was injured when an enemy drone targeted… a vehicle on the road between Zawtar and Mayfadoun,’ the NNA report stated. This was the third deadly incident since Tuesday (23/6) local time, bringing the death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon this week to at least seven people. The Israeli military, in a statement, announced that its forces targeted Hezbollah members in two separate strikes in Lebanon. Tel Aviv claimed its forces ‘identified five Hezbollah terrorists posing a threat’ in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah. In another incident, the Israeli military said its forces ‘identified an armed Hezbollah terrorist’ near the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge. ‘Following the identification, the Israeli Air Force and ground forces opened fire towards the terrorists and eliminated them to remove the threat,’ the Israeli military statement said. The Iran-backed Hezbollah group accused Israel of having ‘blatantly’ violated the ceasefire in Lebanon. Hezbollah said Israel launched a drone strike that killed three civilians in southern Lebanon. According to Hezbollah, the Tel Aviv attack was a ‘direct attack’ on ‘civilians’. Israel had previously claimed to have killed Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah said the attack was the third ‘blatant violation’ of the ceasefire in Lebanon committed by Israel so far.