Israeli Drone Strike Claims Lives of Father and Young Son in Southern Lebanon
Mourners in the southern Lebanese village of Yanouh gathered on Tuesday to bury a father and his three-year-old son, both killed in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a Hezbollah member. The attack, which occurred on Monday, also claimed the life of the car driver, identified as Ahmad Salami, whom the Israeli military described as an artillery official with the Lebanese militant group.
Details of the Tragic Incident
Hassan Jaber, a 37-year-old police officer and father of three, was walking with his young son, Ali, when the strike hit a passing car in the center of Yanouh. According to relatives, they were standing approximately five meters from the vehicle at the time of the explosion. The Lebanon health ministry confirmed the boy was only three years old, and both were pronounced dead at the scene along with Salami, who was also from Yanouh and buried alongside them.
The Israeli military issued a statement acknowledging it was aware of claims that uninvolved civilians were killed, noting the case is under review. "We make every effort to reduce the likelihood of harm to civilians," the statement added. However, a cousin of the father, also named Hassan Jaber, criticized the strike, telling The Associated Press that the area is typically crowded with coffee shops, corner stores, a Shiite religious hall, the municipality building, and a civil defense center.
Emotional Funeral and Broader Context
At the funeral, attendees carried photos of Ali, described as a striking child with large green eyes and blond hair. Some mourners also displayed flags of Hezbollah or Amal, a Shiite party allied with but sometimes rival to Hezbollah. Ghazaleh Haider, the wife of the boy's uncle, expressed anguish, asking, "What did this innocent child do wrong, this angel? Was he a fighter or a jihadi?" Relatives noted that Ali had not yet entered school but showed signs of unusual intelligence.
The strike is part of an escalated campaign by Israel against Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon. This follows the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, which triggered war in Gaza and led Hezbollah to fire rockets from Lebanon in support. The conflict escalated into full-scale war in September 2024, later tempered by a U.S.-brokered ceasefire two months later, though tensions persist.
In the night preceding the Yanouh strike, Israeli forces conducted a rare ground raid in the Lebanese village of Hebbarieh, seizing a local official with al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, a Sunni Islamist group allied with Hezbollah and Hamas. Since the ceasefire, Israel has accused Hezbollah of rebuilding efforts and carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon, targeting what it claims are militant facilities, while Israeli forces continue to occupy five hilltop points on the Lebanese side of the border.
The Lebanon Internal Security Forces confirmed that Hassan Jaber had joined in 2013 and reached the rank of first sergeant, highlighting his service amidst the ongoing regional strife.
