Four killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon
Lebanon’s state news agency said drone attacks hit vehicles in Nabatieh as diplomats pressed a ceasefire framework covering Lebanon.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Israeli strikes killed at least four people in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh governorate on Tuesday, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. The attacks put fresh strain on a U.S.-Iran understanding that mediators have described as covering military action in Lebanon.
The NNA said separate drone strikes hit two vehicles in Mayfadoun. It also reported that a third vehicle was targeted in the village of Shoukin.
The attacks came during efforts to secure a wider ceasefire after talks involving the United States and Iran. Iranian officials had said during the negotiations that any arrangement would need to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera.
The text of the memorandum of understanding has not been released. Pakistan’s prime minister, whose country is serving as one of the mediators, said Monday that the agreement called for an immediate stop to military operations “on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon would breach the deal. He said the war would not be fully over without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territory they took during the conflict.
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also raised Lebanon in a phone call with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. According to Al Jazeera, Ghalibaf urged the United States to force Israel to end its war in Lebanon, halt the demolition of homes and withdraw from occupied Lebanese land.
Israel has signaled it does not plan to leave the areas it holds in southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the U.S.-Iran deal was announced that Israel would keep occupying southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese group that has fought Israel, has said it received assurances from Iran that Tehran will press for an Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon in the next stage of talks with Washington, Reuters reported.
The conflict has caused severe casualties in Lebanon since fighting resumed on March 2. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,826 people and wounded 11,851 others since then.
The latest strikes underscore the gap between diplomatic statements about a halt in fighting and conditions on the ground in southern Lebanon. Lebanese and Iranian officials have tied any durable ceasefire to an end of Israeli military operations and a withdrawal from Lebanese territory, while Israel’s leadership has publicly taken the opposite position.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.