At least 11 people, including several children, were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s southern Nabatieh district on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. The attacks came despite two June truce agreements mediated by the United States.
The strikes hit a house near Ansar village, killing seven people and wounding three others, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Four more people were killed in an attack on Deir al-Zahrani, while further strikes and shelling were reported across southern towns.
What happened in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military also struck the Ali al-Taher ridge near Beaufort Castle, as well as areas near Kfar Reman, Bint Jbeil, Taybeh and al-Mansouri. Reports also described artillery fire near Sarbin, Barashit, al-Mansouri and Wadi Zibqin.
Israel said the area around Ali al-Taher had strategic significance and that its forces were targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. The Israeli military said the operation followed what it described as an action by Hezbollah against Israeli soldiers at the ridge. It also said it killed Abu Hassan Alaa, described as a senior commander in Hezbollah’s Badder Unit, and Hezbollah commander Ali Samir al-Haj Hassan. Hezbollah had not commented on those claims in the supplied report.
Related coverage: Seven killed in Israeli air strike on southern Lebanon.
Why the ceasefire has not stopped the fighting
The June 4 ceasefire was conditional on a complete halt to Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of its fighters. A June 26 framework instead linked the withdrawal of Israeli forces to Hezbollah’s disarmament. The agreements followed an April truce that had broken down.
Lebanese officials said the latest attacks violated the ceasefire. President Joseph Aoun called them a message aimed at the negotiation process and US efforts to implement the agreement. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam demanded that Israel halt the escalation, while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described the attacks as a massacre.
Hezbollah accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to strengthen his domestic political position and appease the far right. A general election in Israel is scheduled for October 27. A Middle East analyst cited in the source report said the opposing positions remain deadlocked: Israel says it will not cease fire until Hezbollah is disarmed, while Hezbollah says it will not disarm before Israeli forces withdraw.
More context: Lebanon presses for Israeli pullout schedule amid Hezbollah opposition.
Where the negotiations stand
Lebanon and Israel have continued negotiations under the June 26 framework, with the seventh round held in early August. The Lebanese government is planning another round of talks next month. The framework envisages Israeli withdrawal from large parts of southern Lebanon after Hezbollah’s disarmament and the deployment of the Lebanese army near the border.
Israel continues to occupy nearly one-fifth of Lebanon, according to the source report. An Israeli government spokesperson said the latest attacks should help restart the talks, while a US State Department spokesperson called Hezbollah the main obstacle and said a programme involving Israeli withdrawals from certain areas and the arrival of Lebanese soldiers remained the only viable path to peace.
Lebanon’s leaders face a difficult negotiating position because abandoning the talks could carry a higher cost for Lebanon, according to Randa Slim of the Stimson Center, who also said Hezbollah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri were excluded from the ceasefire negotiations.
Also read: What comes after UNIFIL in southern Lebanon?.
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