BEIRUT: An Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon on Monday killed two people, according to the health ministry, with a Lebanese security source saying the car belonged to a United Nations contracted company.
The attack occurred in Naqura, a town situated near the Israeli border. The incident marks the latest escalation in the ongoing cross-border conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, which has intensified since October 7.
The Health Ministry’s brief statement did not specify whether the victims were civilians, but a Lebanese security source, who requested anonymity, said that the vehicle belonged to a UN-contracted cleaning company. The source identified the victims as an employee of the company and his cousin, who had recently arrived from an African country. The employee and his cousin were both from Naqura.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television network has reported that the victims were civilians, while Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) confirmed the strike on the Naqura road but did not provide additional details.
The Israeli military has not yet commented specifically on this strike. Hezbollah, meanwhile, has said that its own strikes are focused on Israeli military sites in northern Israel.
The ongoing conflict has severely impacted civilians. The UN estimates that over 110,000 people have been displaced from southern Lebanon, while around 100,000 people in northern Israel have also been forced to evacuate their homes.
Nearly 609 people have been killed in Lebanon, including at least 132 civilians in the ongoing cross-border Israeli fire.
