An Israeli drone strike hit a vehicle in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon today, killing three people according to local officials. Details are scant about the identities of the slain, though they were evidently all people inside the car.
The Israeli military issued a statement on the matter, claiming that “several Hezbollah” were in the area at the time of the strike. They offered no evidence that this was the case.
The lack of evidence is normal, what is unusual is that the military didn’t actually claim any of the people killed were Hezbollah, only that they were “in the area” and intended to be the target. That’s unusual, as Israel pretty much always posthumously promotes anyone they kill to an important Hezbollah figure. In this case, however, they only claimed an attempt at such targets was made.
Car destroyed in Sidon | Image from X
A ceasefire went into effect in November of last year, but Israel has carried out near daily attacks since. So far in 2025, roughly 1,600 Israeli strikes have been conducted, killing hundreds of people.
Today’s attack comes a day after multiple strikes targeted the southern town of Yater, killing one person and wounding several others. Such strikes have been escalating in recent weeks, with concerns that a new war is in the offing.
Though Lebanese has reported substantial progress in disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, as required by the ceasefire, Israeli officials reportedly see a new war as “inevitable,” citing a belief that Lebanon cannot fully disarm Hezbollah on their own.
