Israeli drone strikes car in Lebanon's Nabatieh as 'assassination attempt'

An Israeli drone struck a car, injuring two, in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on Thursday in what Israeli media claimed was an assassination attempt of a Hezbollah member.

Israeli Army Radio claimed that the drone strike targeted a senior commander of Hezbollah who was responsible for overseeing missile launches on the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shimona.

Hezbollah had yet to issue a statement, but Lebanese media reported two injured from the drone strike, including one in critical condition.

At least 184 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in Lebanon and Syria since fighting between Hezbollah and Israel started in the wake of Hamas-led 7 October surprise attack on the Gaza envelope, according to Lebanese outlet L'Orient Today.

The strike was far north of the country's southern border with Israel, where clashes have generally been confined since the beginning of cross-border clashes.

Earlier in the day, Israeli warplanes circled Lebanon's capital city of Beirut, while others carried out airstrikes on the border town of Kafr Kila.

It follows several high-profile assassinations of members of Hezbollah's military wing and its Palestinian allies by Israeli forces.

On 2 January, Israel killed Salah al-Arouri, the leader of Hamas's military forces, targeting him with a missile in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

It later carried out the assassination of at least two more senior commanders in Hezbollah, including Wissam Tawil on 8 January, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan unit.

Clashes between Hezbollah and Israel have steadily escalated in intensity over the last four months, with regional observers warning of the possibility of a full-scale war between the two.

Western and regional diplomats have been engaged in intensive mediation between the two parties to stave off a greater war, but efforts seemed to be linked to a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal for a ceasefire by Hamas in Gaza, reiterating his statement that he would eliminate the armed group.

Since the beginning of Israel's military operation in Gaza on 7 October, more than 27,000 have been killed, mostly women and children.