BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, July 25 (Xinhua) -- A member of the Lebanese Hezbollah group was killed and a civilian was injured Friday in an Israeli drone strike on the southern border region, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry and security sources.
The Public Health Emergency Operations Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Health, confirmed in a statement that one person was killed in the strike that targeted a vehicle in Baraachit in the Bint Jbeil district.
Separately, the National News Agency reported that Bassam Sweid, a member of the municipal council of the southwestern village of al-Dhahira, was transported to the Italian Lebanese Hospital in the Tyre district after being shot twice by Israeli forces. He was reportedly in serious condition.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it killed in an airstrike a Hezbollah personnel officer in southern Lebanon on Friday.
According to the statement, the deceased, Mohammad Hassan Qoutan, served as the personnel officer for Hezbollah's Bint Jbeil sector. He was involved in efforts to rehabilitate Hezbollah in the Bint Jbeil area and operated to recruit militants.
The IDF claimed that his activities constitute a "blatant violation" of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.
A ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, brokered by the United States and France, has been in effect since late November last year, bringing an end to hostilities between the two sides that were sparked by the war in Gaza.
Despite the agreement, the Israeli army occasionally conducts strikes in Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah "threats," and maintains a presence at five key points along the Lebanese border. ■
