Israeli strike kills two in South Lebanon despite ceasefire

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike on Friday killed two people in the country's south, where a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war has largely held since late November.

The state-run National News Agency said "an Israeli drone targeted a car in Tayr Dibba", a village near the coastal city of Tyre and around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Israeli border.

The health ministry said in a statement that two people were killed in the strike, which Israeli officials did not immediately comment on.

A Lebanese security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that a rocket launcher was hit and several munitions had exploded.

The strike came with a little over a fortnight to go before a 60-day deadline to implement the terms of a ceasefire that ended a war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on November 27.

Under the deal, Hezbollah is to withdraw its forces from areas near the Israeli border and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the country's south.

The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers are to deploy in the strip of land south of the Litani River, some 30 kilometres from the border, as Israeli troops withdraw.

Both warring sides have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire.

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon accused Israel on Saturday of a "flagrant violation" of a UN Security Council resolution from 2006 which the terms of the ceasefire were based on.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned that the group's patience with Israeli violations could run out before the deadline on January 26.