Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including a journalist, in southern Lebanon, as reported by Lebanon’s state news agency on Wednesday. Hezbollah also claimed to have launched a drone attack on Israeli forces in the south, escalating tensions and challenging the existing ceasefire between the two nations.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), an Israeli strike targeted a car in the village of at-Tiri in southern Lebanon, leading to the deaths of two individuals inside. Additionally, another two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the town of Yohmor in the south, as confirmed by NNA and Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The strikes near at-Tiri also injured a journalist and trapped another individual under rubble, delaying rescue efforts due to ongoing Israeli fire.
In a separate incident in Jabbour, located in the West Bekaa region around 70 kilometers from Beirut, one person was killed and two others were injured, according to the state news agency. However, Israel’s military refuted claims of conducting any strikes in that specific area.
Prior to the upcoming talks in Washington involving the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed the intention to extend the current 10-day ceasefire mediated by the U.S., set to end on Sunday. The renewed hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel ignited on March 2 when Hezbollah engaged in firing in support of Iran.
Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, retaliated against Israeli violations during the ceasefire by launching a drone at an Israeli post in the southern village of Bayada. Israel’s military countered by stating that Hezbollah breached the ceasefire with the deployment of a hostile aircraft towards Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, which was intercepted by Israel’s air force before crossing into Israeli territory.
Tragically, one of the three French soldiers wounded in an attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon last week succumbed to injuries in France, as announced by French President Emmanuel Macron. Another soldier had previously lost their life in the same attack attributed to Hezbollah.
Lebanon aims to extend the ceasefire as a prerequisite for transitioning into broader negotiations, as indicated by a Lebanese official to Reuters. Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged Lebanon to collaborate in disarming Hezbollah, emphasizing that Hezbollah remains the primary obstacle to peace and normalization between the two countries.
Israel’s military has established a buffer zone extending approximately 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon to mitigate the threat of short-range rockets and anti-tank missiles towards northern Israel. The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 2,400 casualties in Lebanon since Israel’s offensive in response to Hezbollah’s initial attack on March 2.
Hezbollah, attributing the ceasefire in Lebanon to Iranian pressure, criticized Beirut for engaging in talks with Israel, highlighting broader divisions within the Lebanese government concerning Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The upcoming meeting on Thursday will see U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance, with Lebanon represented by its ambassador to Washington and Israel by its ambassador. The ceasefire announced by Trump aims to facilitate lasting peace between Lebanon and Israel, two nations that have been in an official state of war since Israel’s establishment in 1948.