Four Lebanese civilians in southern Lebanon died on Sunday in an attack executed by an Israeli drone, while Hezbollah threatened Israel with "paying the price for its crimes." Reports indicated that a Lebanese woman and her three grandchildren were killed after an Israeli drone targeted the vehicle they were in on the Aintat-Aitron road in southern Lebanon.
Two vehicles were traveling one behind the other; the first was driven by journalist Samir Abdul Hussein Ayoub, and the second was driven by his niece, accompanied by her mother and her three children. The two cars were subjected to an airstrike by an Israeli drone, which struck the second vehicle directly, causing it to overturn and catch fire. The bombardment resulted in the deaths of the journalist’s sister and her three grandchildren aged 10, 12, and 14, while their mother and the journalist himself were injured.
Hezbollah parliamentary member Hassan Fadlallah told Reuters: "This crime is a serious development in the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, and the enemy will pay the price for its crimes against civilians." He added, "The occupation army committed a horrific massacre against a civilian vehicle, leading to the martyrdom of three girls aged between eight and 14 and their grandmother, injuring their mother while they were passing on the public road between the towns of Aitron and Aintat."
The response was immediate as sirens sounded in the settlements of Metula, Kfar Giladi, and Kiryat Shmona, where it was reported that dozens of rockets were launched from Lebanon, killing at least one settler. The Islamic Resistance issued a statement saying, "In response to the barbaric and horrific crime committed by the enemy this afternoon, targeting a civilian vehicle on the Al-Mu'ayssirah road between Aintat and Aitron, which led to the martyrdom of a woman and three of her grandchildren, its elements at 7:20 PM on Sunday bombed the Kiryat Shmona settlement with several Grad (Katyusha) rockets," affirming that "it will never tolerate any attack against civilians, and its response will be decisive and strong."
For its part, the Israeli army announced that "an Israeli was killed today, Sunday, in an attack launched by Hezbollah along the northern border, where tensions are escalating between them amid the war in Gaza." Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that "the army is acting based on intelligence and thoroughly reviewing all incidents in Lebanon" in response to questions about reports of an airstrike that resulted in civilian casualties in southern Lebanon.
In a press conference, he affirmed: "We will attack anyone who threatens us," adding: "We are studying all events in Lebanon to understand the details. That's all I can say at this stage."
**Complaint to the Security Council**
In light of what happened, Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib announced that "Lebanon will file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council regarding the martyrdom of civilians, including girls, in the Israeli strike in southern Lebanon." Bou Habib told Reuters: "We have begun gathering information along with images of the crime and are in the process of submitting a complaint to the Security Council tomorrow."
**Moment of Silence**
The Minister of Education and Higher Education in the caretaker government, Abbas Halabi, called on all officials managing public and private schools and institutions to "observe a minute of silence tomorrow morning in mourning for the souls of the martyrs." He confirmed in a statement that it is a "crime that words cannot describe in its heinousness, and it is one in a series of crimes committed by the occupation daily against the secure. We share the sorrow and grief with the families of the martyrs and their comrades and express our solidarity with them in their mourning."
**The Free Patriotic Movement**
The "Free Patriotic Movement" condemned in a statement "the Israeli crime against unarmed civilians and children," stating: "It seems the enemy deliberately wants to expand the scope of its attacks against Lebanon to broaden the war after failing to achieve its objectives in Gaza and following the shift in international public opinion condemning the war crimes being committed in Gaza."
It warned the Western countries supporting Israel of the "necessity to restrain it if they truly want to avoid the broadening of the war, to prevent dragging the West into a war unrestrained by any controls."
**Lebanese Communist Party**
The Lebanese Communist Party, in a statement, considered that "the new crime committed by the Zionist entity adds to its record of crimes and terrorism against our people in the south, where it bombed a civilian family today, Sunday, with prior intent, killing three children and the sister of comrade Samir Ayoub, who was injured along with his niece, the mother of the three children."
"With these pure and sacred martyrdoms, the hypocrisy of the Zionist enemy, which spreads lies to public opinion that it has targeted militants in this vehicle, is exposed," the party stated. It extended "salutations of reverence and esteem for the blood of the martyrs" and condemned "this documented crime against the children of Lebanon, whose blood has now mixed with that of the children of Palestine," asserting that "this terrorist operation requires condemnation and a response to stop the crimes of this entity, supported by America and NATO."
Earlier, the "Islamic Resistance" had targeted an Israeli soldiers' gathering in the Bayad Blida area during the day, achieving confirmed hits. They also targeted the Al-Daher site with rockets and artillery shells, causing confirmed injuries. Additionally, at 1:20 PM today, "they targeted a military vehicle belonging to the Zionist enemy in the Bayad Blida area with guided missiles, creating casualties within its crew."
Also, at 11:20 AM today, they targeted the Avivim barracks and the Jal Al-Deir site with guided missiles and suitable weapons. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee reported that "a cell trying to launch shells from Lebanon towards Ras al-Naqoura was targeted."
**Emerging Developments**
The Iron Dome intercepted a drone inside Lebanese territory. The Defense Army shelled inside Lebanon shortly before a drone was observed approaching Israeli territory, which was successfully intercepted deep within Lebanese territory. Additionally, around 11:35 AM this Sunday, the air defenses of the "Islamic Resistance" shot down an Israeli drone with a surface-to-air missile, leading to large parts of it falling over neighborhoods in the towns of Zbdine and Harouf while it was flying with another drone over the airspace of Nabatiyeh, Harouf, Zbdine, Jabshat, Al-Duweir, Al-Sharqiya, and Tulle.
The second drone was observed flying for a few minutes after the first was hit before it retreated from the sky over the region. Hundreds of citizens gathered on the rooftops in the mentioned towns at the moment of the explosion from the missile and the drone's fall, chanting in celebration.
