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The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hezbollah militant,
and that he “operated from within a civilian population.” It
acknowledged that civilians were killed and that it was
reviewing the incident.
Israel frequently says it is targeting Hezbollah militants or
infrastructure in the tiny country’s battered southern region.
Hezbollah has only claimed firing across the border once since
the ceasefire, but Israel says the militant group is trying to
rebuild its capabilities.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said four of those
killed, the three children as well as their father, held U.S.
citizenship. The U.S. State Department, however, said none of
the five appeared to be a U.S. citizen, but the situation was
still “fluid.”
Since a ceasefire agreement was reached in November to end
Israel’s monthslong war with the Hezbollah militant group,
Israel has continued to strike southern and eastern Lebanon
almost daily.
Lebanese officials have warned that the ongoing strikes risk the
country's recent efforts to disarm the group and could
destabilize the country. Hezbollah has maintained that it no
longer has a military presence south of the Litani River, and
has refused to speak of disarmament without Israel stopping its
attacks and withdrawing from southern Lebanese territory.
President Joseph Aoun, who earlier landed in New York ahead of
the United Nations General Assembly, condemned the strike and
called on the international community to pressure Israel to
stop. Aoun, alongside Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, endorsed an
agreement last month that would gradually disarm Hezbollah.
The monthslong war between Hezbollah and Israel killed some
4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced residents across southern
and eastern Lebanon.
Hezbollah officials say the ongoing strikes justify their
refusal to give up their arms, and claim that the ceasefire
agreement and monitoring mechanism with the United States,
France, and United Nations peacekeeping forces is ineffective.
Under the Washington-brokered ceasefire, both the militant
Hezbollah group and Israel were supposed to withdraw their
forces from southern Lebanon and halt strikes against each
other. Israeli forces have continue to occupy five Lebanese
hilltop points by the border.
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