Lebanese soldiers and rescue workers gather near the wreckage of a car struck by an Israeli drone south of Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday. The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the airstrike targeted a car on the Khaldeh highway at the southern entrance of Beirut. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA
An Israeli drone struck a car on Thursday as it was driving along a highway at the southern entrance of Beirut, killing one person and wounding three others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Israeli Army claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it targeted a “terrorist” working for Iran’s Quds Force and involved in smuggling weapons.
The drone fired one first missile, but missed the targeted car on the Khalde highway south of Beirut, prompting the driver to slow down and stop on the side of the road. A second missile hit and destroyed the car, killing the driver, who was identified as Qassem al-Husseini, according to witnesses on the scene and local reports.
The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed that one person was killed, and three others were injured.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that the Israeli military carried out a strike in Lebanon targeting “a terrorist involved in weapons smuggling and plotting attacks against Israeli civilians and Army forces on behalf of the Iranian Quds Force.”
The Quds Force is an elite unit within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, tasked with overseeing the country’s foreign operations and supporting proxy groups across the Middle East.
The Israeli English-language website described the attack as an “unusual move deep inside Lebanon.”
Hezbollah’s run al Manar website reported that the Israeli strike hit “a civilian car with two missiles,” inflicting several casualties. It gave no further details.
Shortly afterward, Israeli warplanes carried out at least eight strikes on suspected Hezbollah positions in valleys near the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Ambulances rushed to the targeted sites, but there were no immediate details on casualties.
Israel has continued striking southern Lebanon and other areas of the country since the Nov. 27 ceasefire accord, which was brokered by the United States and France to end a 14-month war between Hezbollah and Israel.
The ongoing strikes, which Israel claims to target suspected Hezbollah positions, have killed more than 200 Lebanese civilians and Hezbollah field commanders since the ceasefire went into effect Feb. 18.
Israel also refused to fully withdraw and retained five strategic positions inside south Lebanon and pledged to continue striking Lebanon to force the full disarmament of Hezbollah.
In line with the cease-fire agreement, the Lebanese Army has taken control of most of Hezbollah’s positions and military facilities, pushing the militant group away from the border with Israel and preventing it from having a military presence south of the Litani River.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has also initiated a one-to-one dialogue with Hezbollah to discuss ways of securing its total disarmament per the cease-fire terms.
Hezbollah, which has repeatedly resisted disarming and insisted on Israel’s full withdrawal from south Lebanon, was expected to comment on a draft document prepared by the Lebanese authorities in response to U.S. demands concerning disarming Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon.
U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack, who conveyed the American. conditions during a trip to Beirut on June 19, was expected back in Lebanon next week for follow-up discussions on the matter with the Lebanese officials.
The United States also has urged Lebanon to improve ties with Syria and implement necessary and well-needed reforms to unlock funds for reconstruction and help solve its acute financial crisis.
The Hezbollah-Israel war has killed or wounded more than 20,000 people since October 2023, when it started in support of Gaza. The Israelis’ relentless strikes and bombardment caused widespread destruction estimated by the World Bank at $11 billion.
