BEIRUT, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian official survived Friday an Israeli drone strike that targeted him in the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanese security sources.
A Lebanese security source told Xinhua that Bassam Kaid, a former head of the Palestinian Scholars Association and currently a member of the association, survived the initial air-to-ground missile strike on the civilian car carrying him.
The association is an independent scholarly institution that includes Palestinian scholars and clerics residing outside Palestine, aimed at supporting the Palestinian cause.
The security source added that the drone then pursued him with three subsequent strikes, which he miraculously survived after throwing his mobile phone out of the car.
The Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces units later arrived at the scene to investigate.
The Israeli drone conducted a second strike targeting the village of Duris near Dar Al-Amal Hospital in Baalbek, Lebanon's official National News Agency reported, without providing further details.
The agency also reported separate Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon on Friday, including a stun grenade dropped on the village of Markaba, machine-gun fire near Aitaroun, and artillery shelling around Jabal Blat.
Since November 27, 2024, a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, brokered by the United States and France, has been in effect, putting an end to the clashes that erupted between them against the backdrop of the war in the Gaza Strip.
Despite the agreement, the Israeli army occasionally carries out strikes in Lebanon, claiming they are to remove Hezbollah "threats," and has maintained forces at five main points along the border after the deadline for its full withdrawal ended on Feb. 18, 2025. ■
