Israeli drone seriously wounds a Lebanese soldier in southern Lebanon — strikes continue

A Lebanese army soldier was left seriously wounded on Wednesday after an Israeli drone struck a military vehicle in the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area, in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army announced, as Al Jazeera reports in its war liveblog. It is the latest strike in a series of Israeli strikes during the morning, which also included the towns of Haddatha, Kfar Tebnit, Zawtar and Ayta al-Shaab.

According to the Lebanese army, the drone targeted the military vehicle in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, while Lebanon’s official news agency, NNA, also reported artillery shelling in several southern villages. The Swedish news agency Sweden Herald writes that, in addition to the soldier, three civilians were wounded, while the town where the attack took place has been subject to regular Israeli attacks in recent weeks, despite the ceasefire formally in force between Israel and Hezbollah.

The attack comes as part of a continuing wave of Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have remained deployed at five points across the border. Earlier data show that dozens of such strikes have been recorded in recent months, with a rising human and material cost for Lebanon.

The situation on the Lebanese front is part of the wider regional conflict that erupted after the U.S.–Israel war against Iran, which began in February. Lebanese forces have tried to stay out of the fighting, but their soldiers have been hit several times by Israeli strikes in recent months.