Israeli army blows up house in southern Lebanon amid ceasefire violations

In a new breach of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, Israeli army forces infiltrated the southern town of Kfar Kila on Thursday and blew up a civilian home, local media said.

According to the state news agency NNA, Israeli soldiers crossed into Kfar Kila at dawn and planted explosives inside the house, wrecking it.

In a separate incident, Israeli forces fired machine guns toward the outskirts of the nearby city of Khiam from their position on the Hamames Hill, the agency said.

Israel launched a wide-scale assault on Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, that escalated into a full-scale war by Sept. 23, 2024. The conflict has killed more than 4,000 people, wounded over 17,000, and displaced nearly 1.4 million, according to official data.

Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah's activities despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was reached in November. The truce ended months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 224 people and injuries to more than 500, since the agreement was signed.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.