Israeli Drone Strike Hits Lebanon's Hermel, Six Injured
According to Al Jazeera reports, an Israeli drone strike on the Hermel area of Lebanon, near the Syrian border, injured six people, five of whom are Syrian nationals. The incident took place against the backdrop of Israel's ongoing cross-border strikes in violation of the Lebanon-Israel June ceasefire agreement, reflecting a pattern of hundreds of military operations by Israel against Syria since the fall of the Assad regime at the end of 2024.
An Israeli military drone struck the Hermel area in eastern Lebanon—near the Syrian border—on Friday, injuring six people. Citing the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Al Jazeera reported that the wounded include five Syrian nationals (among them two women) and one Lebanese national.
Lebanon's state news agency reported that the drone targeted a vehicle. The agency added that the area has largely been untouched by strikes since the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement was reached in June.
The Israeli military subsequently claimed it had struck "a Syrian terrorist acting under the direction of the Iranian regime," accusing the individual of "planning and advancing" operations against Israeli forces in southern Syria. This account has not been verified by independent sources.
The Hermel strike is a recent instance of the pattern of ongoing cross-border strikes since the ceasefire. Al Jazeera reported that Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Israeli forces have entered the Syrian-Israeli buffer zone that had previously been monitored by UN patrols under the framework of the 1974 agreement, and have repeatedly conducted operations deep inside Syrian territory, during which there are records of local residents being detained. On the Lebanese front, Israeli strikes have also not ceased since the June ceasefire. Israel has publicly stated it will maintain a long-term military presence in so-called "security zones" on both sides of the Syrian-Lebanese border.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa sharply criticized the above military operations at last month's UN General Assembly. In his speech, he said: "We reject Israel's attempts to unilaterally create fait accompli, and we reject its aggressive acts that undermine peace and security." Al-Sharaa cited figures claiming Israel has carried out "500 airstrikes, more than 1,200 incursions and 300 detentions" in Syria, and called on Israel to withdraw from Syrian territory and on the international community to implement the 1974 agreement.
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