Israeli strike kills three in south Lebanon during US-backed talks
Lebanon’s state news agency said an Israeli strike hit a car in Nabatieh as Washington talks focused on a possible handover of occupied territory.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
An Israeli strike killed three people in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, as US-backed talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials neared their close in Washington. The discussions have centered on whether Israeli forces will hand territory captured during fighting with Hezbollah to Lebanon’s military.
The National News Agency said the strike hit a car on the road between Zawtar and Mayfadoun in Nabatieh Governorate, wounding one other person. It also reported that Israeli forces set fire to several houses in Ain Arab after warning residents to leave the town before 5pm on Wednesday.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health says 4,230 people have been killed and 12,179 wounded since the conflict began on March 2. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli attacks have continued despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Ceasefire under strain
Reporting from Nabatieh, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr described the ceasefire as fragile and said Israeli forces were continuing to hit people and sites in frontline villages. She said those villages sit near the city of Nabatieh and along an area under Israeli occupation.
Khodr said Israel was trying to keep control by force over villages it did not occupy during weeks of fighting. She linked that posture to the Washington negotiations, saying territorial control gives Israel more leverage as officials discuss a possible gradual handover.
The Washington talks have run for three days and were due to conclude on Thursday. According to Al Jazeera, Israel and Lebanon have been discussing a United States-backed proposal involving the transfer of some Israeli-held territory in southern Lebanon to Lebanon’s army.
US cites progress, others dispute pullback
A US State Department official told Reuters that Israel had taken a concrete step toward the proposal by withdrawing from part of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. A senior Israeli defence official disputed that account, telling Reuters there had been no pullback and that Israel would not leave the buffer zone.
A senior Lebanese military official also told Reuters that recent events on the ground showed the opposite of a withdrawal. Those competing accounts underscored the gap between diplomatic statements and conditions in southern Lebanon.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon were making progress toward what he called a “commitment of intent”. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Bahrain, Rubio said he believed the sides were close to such a commitment, while adding that the process would take time and work.
Rubio also said that, for the first time in 30 years, Lebanon’s sovereign government was speaking directly with Israel’s government. Under US pressure, Lebanese officials began direct talks with Israel in Washington in April, according to Al Jazeera.
Hezbollah has opposed the Lebanon-Israel talks. The group has demanded a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon before any such discussions proceed.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.