Israel expresses ‘regret’ over strike that killed civilians and Hezbollah operative in Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expressed regret after a drone strike that eliminated a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon also killed several uninvolved civilians on Sunday.

The health ministry claimed that five people died in the strike, including three children.

The IDF acknowledged that “several uninvolved civilians were killed,” without confirming whether children were among the victims. “The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible. The incident is under review.”

Since the end of active fighting against Hezbollah in the country, the IDF has continued striking positions and operatives of the terror group, many of which it says violate the ceasefire agreement that ended the fighting last year.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, who was elected due to the weakening of the terror group and is leading an effort aimed at disarming it, decried the “new massacre,” which he said “claimed the lives of five martyrs, including three children.”

“While we are in New York discussing issues of peace and human rights, here is Israel persisting in its ongoing violations of international resolutions, foremost among them the ceasefire agreement,” Aoun said after landing in the U.S. for the UN General Assembly.

Aoun added a call to the international community to pressure Israel into withdrawing the IDF from the five positions it still holds in Lebanese territory. “There can be no peace over the blood of our children,” Aoun wrote on 𝕏.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, also claimed that the three children allegedly killed with their father – presumably the Hezbollah operative – had held U.S. citizenships, which the State Department later denied.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have supported the new Lebanese government in its effort to disarm Hezbollah. The cabinet recently “welcomed” a plan to carry out the disarmament without disclosing a timeline or formally adopting it as a policy.

Speaking with the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel, an Israeli security source warned that Israel would not wait forever.

The coming year will be decisive for Israel, the source said, warning, “If Hezbollah is not disarmed, Israel will expand its activities inside Lebanon.”

A “broader ground operation” in Lebanon is possible “if needed,” said the source, “Those building military capabilities against Israel are not immune, whether they are an activist or a senior leader.”

“Hezbollah is trying to repair itself, which requires vigilance, and Israel considers Hezbollah’s military situation as unsettled yet.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack reiterated Washington's determination to see the powerful Iranian ally disarmed.

“Hezbollah is our enemy, and Iran is our enemy. We need to cut off the heads of these snakes and stop their funding,” Barrack told Sky News Arabia.

He emphasized that Hezbollah continues to rebuild its capabilities, noting that the terror group has been receiving as much as $60 million a month “from somewhere” since the end of the war.

Barrack also criticized the Lebanese government for its lack of action and urged it to “clearly declare that it will disarm Hezbollah.”