BEIRUT, June 16 - Israeli drone strikes struck three vehicles in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least four people and wounding others, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said.
According to NNA reporting, two people were killed in a double-tap strike in the village of Mayfadoun. A drone first hit a car and a second strike followed after people had gathered at the scene. Separately, a drone strike in the town of Shoukin killed two further people, the agency reported.
Throughout the day, the southern region of Lebanon experienced sustained Israeli operations. NNA said the Israeli military carried out multiple drone strikes, launched a missile, and used artillery fire. Drones were also reported hovering over the Lebanese capital, Beirut. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the specific strikes reported by NNA.
Israel's military issued a separate statement saying it had intercepted rockets launched by Hezbollah at an area of southern Lebanon where Israeli soldiers were conducting operations. The statement said the military had struck a launcher that had fired some of the rockets. In addition, the Israeli military said it identified a suspicious vehicle near where its soldiers were operating, fired a warning shot toward the vehicle, and then carried out a strike to "remove the threat."
The broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has continued despite a partial reduction in violence following an interim peace deal announced between the United States and Iran on Monday. The announcement coincided with reports that fighting has eased but has not completely stopped.
Lebanon has been drawn into the regional confrontation centered on Iran since Hezbollah launched strikes on Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran, according to the account in the reports. In response, Israel launched an offensive that Lebanese authorities say has killed more than 3,820 people and displaced around 1.2 million residents.
Casualties on the Israeli side reported in the ongoing conflict include at least 28 Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon, according to a tally of Israeli military announcements, and four Israeli civilians killed in Hezbollah attacks. Hezbollah has not provided figures for its own fighters killed in the fighting.
Israeli troops continue to occupy extensive areas of southern Lebanon. NNA and other Lebanese authorities reported that dozens of villages have been flattened and emptied of their residents as military operations have advanced.
Context note
The sequence of events on Tuesday highlights continued cross-border military activity: targeted drone strikes against vehicles, the Israeli military's account of rocket interception and counterstrikes, and the ongoing presence of Israeli ground forces in the south. While an interim diplomatic development involving the United States and Iran coincided with some easing of hostilities, the presence of deadly strikes and active operations indicates the situation remains unstable.