An Israeli drone strike near Lebanon’s border with Syria killed four people on Sunday, Lebanese authorities said, in an attack Israel described as targeting operatives from the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that a drone struck a vehicle in the Majdal Anjar area, close to the Syrian frontier, leaving “four bodies” inside the car. The health ministry confirmed the death toll in a statement.
The Israeli military said it had “struck Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the Majdal Anjar area,” framing the operation as a targeted action against militants.
The strike marks a notable development in the post-ceasefire landscape. In November 2024, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a truce intended to halt more than a year of cross-border hostilities that had intensified following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. While Israel has continued to conduct strikes in Lebanon since the agreement — most frequently against Hezbollah targets — this appears to be the first time it has publicly claimed an operation against Islamic Jihad on Lebanese soil since the truce.
Islamic Jihad, like Hamas, maintains ties to Hezbollah and Iran. During the 2023–2024 hostilities, fighters from both Palestinian factions were reported killed in Lebanon. The groups also claimed responsibility for rocket fire and infiltration attempts from Lebanese territory into northern Israel.
According to an AFP tally based on Lebanese health ministry figures, more than 370 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the November ceasefire took effect. The continued strikes underscore the fragility of the truce and the blurred boundaries between Lebanese and Palestinian armed actors operating in the country.
In January, the Lebanese army announced completion of the first phase of a government plan to disarm Hezbollah in areas near the Israeli border, in line with the ceasefire’s provisions. The broader initiative aims to consolidate state authority over weapons and reduce the autonomy of non-state armed groups.
Some Palestinian factions in Lebanon handed over arms in selected refugee camps last year as part of that effort. However, neither Hamas nor Islamic Jihad has declared an intention to disarm.
Sunday’s strike highlights the complex security environment in eastern Lebanon, where proximity to Syria adds another layer of strategic sensitivity. Israel has long viewed cross-border corridors linking Lebanon and Syria as routes for weapons transfers to Hezbollah and allied groups.
For Beirut, repeated Israeli operations risk undermining the government’s attempt to stabilise the south and reassert control. For Israel, the presence of Palestinian militant operatives inside Lebanon remains a security concern distinct from, yet intertwined with, Hezbollah’s capabilities.
The ceasefire has reduced the scale of open confrontation, but it has not eliminated targeted strikes or the underlying rivalry between Israel and armed groups aligned with Iran.
