An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed one person, state media said, ahead of scheduled talks
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An Israeli strike on a village in southern Lebanon killed one person during a 10-day ceasefire, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency, ahead of scheduled talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington on Thursday.
The strike in Jabbour in the West Bekaa region, about 70 kilometers from Beirut, also injured two others, according to local authorities.
Israeli forces have denied raiding the area.
Israel’s latest war with Hezbollah ended with a 10-day ceasefire that came into effect on Friday, but there were more Israeli strikes while Hezbollah claimed its first attack on Tuesday, underscoring the fragility of the deal.
On Wednesday, Lebanon-based Hezbollah said it shot down a drone at an Israeli base in the southern Bayada village in retaliation for Israel’s violation of the ceasefire.
Israel’s military said Hezbollah was violating the ceasefire, adding that the Iran-backed group had launched “hostile airstrikes” against Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.
The war between Israel and Hezbollah has killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1.2 million people. Some of those displaced have started returning to their homes during the 10-day ceasefire. The Israeli military is warning them not to return to southern Lebanon, where Israel is still occupying the area.
The military said the plane was intercepted by the Israeli air force and did not land in Israel.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army said it killed two soldiers who had crossed the “Forward Defense Line” in southern Lebanon and approached the Israeli army, saying they had violated the ceasefire agreement.
One of the three French soldiers who were wounded during an attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon last week, died on Wednesday in France where he was transferred, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an X post.
Another soldier was killed in the attack, which was carried out by Hezbollah, Macron said earlier.
Meanwhile, the President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun said that preparations for talks between Lebanon and Israel are continuing in the second meeting between their ambassadors in Washington on Thursday.
The 10-day, US-led decision will expire on Sunday.
In a statement released by his office, Aoun said the aim of the upcoming talks is to “stop” the Israeli attack, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, the release of Lebanese prisoners from Israel, the deployment of Lebanese troops to the border and the start of the reconstruction process.
Aoun said that the support for Lebanon promised by US President Donald Trump and other countries “gave us an opportunity that we should not miss, as it may never come back.”
Lebanon wants an extension of the ceasefire
Lebanon’s position is that the extension of the arms embargo is a prerequisite for the talks to progress to extended negotiations, a Lebanese official told Reuters.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called on Lebanon on Wednesday to work with Israel to disarm Hezbollah.
“We don’t have any serious disagreements with Lebanon. There are minor border disputes that can be resolved,” Sa’ar said during an Independence Day address to Israel’s diplomatic corps.
“The obstacle to peace and normalcy between countries is one: Hezbollah,” Sa’ar said, adding that Lebanon could have “a future of sovereignty, independence and freedom from Iran’s rule.”
The Israeli army has currently established a security zone extending 10 kilometers to the south of Lebanon. It says the military-controlled area is aimed at eliminating the threat of short-range rockets and anti-tank missiles in northern Israel.
Israel has declared around 50 cities and towns in southern Lebanon as ‘no-go’ zones during a 10-day ceasefire, as the army continues to carry out massive demolitions it says is necessary to eliminate Hezbollah infrastructure. Residents say it is Israel’s way of deepening its footprint in the region.
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel began on March 2, when the group opened fire in support of Tehran in the regional war. Washington’s mediation in Lebanon came in line with Pakistan’s request to end the US war with Iran, which had demanded that Lebanon be part of the war.
More than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah on March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.
Hezbollah, which says Lebanon’s suspension was the result of pressure from Iran, has criticized Beirut for seeking talks with Israel, marking a broad break with the government that has for the past year called for a peaceful disarmament of Hezbollah.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend Thursday’s meeting, while Lebanon is represented by its ambassador in Washington, Nada Moawad, and Israel is represented by its ambassador, Yechiel Leiter.
Announcing the ceasefire on Thursday, Trump said he had ordered Rubio, Vice President JD Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to work with both countries to find a lasting peace.
Lebanon and Israel have remained in a formal state of war since Israel’s founding in 1948.
The country’s top Shia official in Lebanon, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, opposes face-to-face talks with Israel, saying Beirut could have negotiated indirectly.
