The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is investigating an airstrike in southern Lebanon earlier today that killed several civilians, including three children, according to the IDF and Lebanon's health ministry. The strike in Bint Jbeil targeted a Hezbollah operative but resulted in the deaths of uninvolved individuals. Lebanese media reported that two missiles fired from a drone struck a motorcycle and a car. The motorcyclist was the apparent target, identified as a Hezbollah operative. In the car, a father and his three children were killed, bringing the total fatalities to five, as confirmed by Lebanon's health ministry. The IDF stated that the operative was "operating in the area of a civilian population and contrary to the understandings between Israel and Lebanon." The IDF expressed regret for any harm to uninvolved civilians and stated that they "works as much as possible to mitigate harm to them." The military confirmed that the incident is under investigation. The timeframe for the strike was "earlier today" relative to the reporting window of September 21st, 2025, 11:06 PM UTC. This incident follows previous reports concerning regional military activities. On September 18th, an investigation was launched into a rocket or missile launch observed in Iran, with analyst Fabian Hinz suggesting it could have been a test of a medium-range ballistic missile or an anti-ballistic missile system. Separately, recent reports indicated that PJAK, the Iranian branch of the PKK, has been expanding its tunnel networks in the Sulaimaniyah region of Iraq, near the Iranian border, with tunnels filmed in the Penjwen area where IRGC watchtowers are visible nearby.
