Hezbollah issued a statement Thursday claiming that an Israeli UAV strike near the village of Roummane killed two civilians, calling it a second deliberate strike on Lebanese civilians in 48 hours and a violation of the ceasefire. The IDF previously identified the victims as Hezbollah operatives Ahmad and Mahmoud Asili.
Hezbollah issued a statement Thursday morning rejecting the IDF's account of Wednesday's drone strike near Roummane, claiming the two men killed were civilians. The statement, published at 08:39 Jerusalem, calls the strike a 'second deliberate attack on Lebanese civilians in less than 48 hours' and a 'blatant violation of the ceasefire.' The IDF has identified the two as Hezbollah operatives Ahmad and Mahmoud Asili, struck in their vehicle at 16:30 Wednesday.
This is the latest in a series of back-and-forth accusations. The Zioneer first reported at 19:43 Wednesday that the IDF confirmed striking a vehicle carrying suspects crossing the Security Zone near the Ali al-Taher Ridge. By 19:46 Jerusalem the IDF identified the suspects as operatives, and at 00:03 Thursday Abu Ali Express cited photos showing an alleged Hezbollah logo on one victim's shirt, supporting the IDF identification. The Tuesday incident near Nabatieh followed a similar pattern: Hezbollah claimed civilians killed, the IDF said it struck Hezbollah gunmen.
As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday, the IDF has consistently responded to Hezbollah's civilian claims by stating the group operates under civilian cover. The broader context includes ongoing ceasefire violations since the truce took effect, with both sides trading allegations.
The Hezbollah statement did not directly address visual evidence cited by Abu Ali Express of what appears to be a Hezbollah insignia. The Zioneer has reached out to the IDF for further comment on the Hezbollah statement.
5 developments
- ConfirmedHezbollah claims ceasefire violation as IDF fires on civilians in Nabatieh
- StrongIDF says troops struck Hezbollah gunmen in southern Lebanon after ceasefire breach
- DevelopingIDF kills two Hezbollah operatives fleeing rocket launch site in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingHezbollah claims second Hermes-450 drone downed in 24 hours over southern Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake