Israel Says It Intercepted a UAV in Syrian Territory that Was Launched Towards Israel

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system operates for interceptions, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in northern Israel, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system operates for interceptions, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in northern Israel, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
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Israel Says It Intercepted a UAV in Syrian Territory that Was Launched Towards Israel

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system operates for interceptions, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in northern Israel, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system operates for interceptions, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in northern Israel, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

The Israeli military said on Friday it intercepted overnight an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Syrian territory that was launched towards Israel.
The UAV was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, the Israeli army said.
On Thursday, Syrian state media reported that a number of civilians were wounded and material damage was caused by an "Israeli aggression" on Qusayr in Homs province, in central Syria.
The Israeli military, which typically does not comment on specific reports of strikes in Syria, said in a statement it had hit "weapons storage facilities and command centers" used by militant group Hezbollah in the area of Al-Qusayr.

According to the Israeli military, in recent months, Israel has been carrying out strikes to reduce the transfer of weapons from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon, which it said had spread to into the town of Al-Qusayr, near the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The attack targeted the industrial zone of Qusayr and some of the city's residential neighborhoods, according to state media.



Lebanon: At Least 2 Hurt as Israeli Troops Fire on People Returning South after Truce with Hezbollah

A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drive past destroyed buildings in Chehabiyeh village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drive past destroyed buildings in Chehabiyeh village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Lebanon: At Least 2 Hurt as Israeli Troops Fire on People Returning South after Truce with Hezbollah

A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drive past destroyed buildings in Chehabiyeh village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A South Korean UN peacekeeper patrol drive past destroyed buildings in Chehabiyeh village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

At least two people were wounded by Israeli fire in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to state media. The Israeli military said it had fired at people trying to return to certain areas on the second day of a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group.

The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month cease-fire in which Hezbollah militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded by Israeli fire in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. It said Israel fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.

A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.

Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.

More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.

Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.

In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.