The Lebanese army announced on Saturday, June 6, that several of its personnel, including an officer, were killed in an Israeli strike targeting a military vehicle on the Khardali-Nabatieh road in southern Lebanon. The attack marked a new escalation days after Lebanon and Israel agreed to implement a conditional truce under US sponsorship.
In a statement, the Lebanese army said “several military personnel, including an officer, were killed in a barbaric Israeli attack that targeted a military vehicle on the Khardali-Nabatieh road,” adding that the strike came amid continued Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory.
The attack is one of the most prominent strikes to hit the Lebanese army since the announcement of new ceasefire understandings between Israel and Hezbollah, amid mutual accusations by both sides of violating the calm and failing to comply with its terms.
Civilian and Paramedic Deaths in Nabatieh
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced on Friday that five people were killed in an Israeli strike targeting the town of Zibdin in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon, including a woman and a paramedic. Two others were wounded, one of them a paramedic.
The ministry said in a statement that the strike killed five people, including a paramedic working with the al-Risala Scouts Association, affiliated with the Amal Movement, and wounded another member of the same ambulance body. It condemned what it described as the targeting of humanitarian workers while they were carrying out their duties.
Southern Lebanon continues to witness airstrikes and mutual shelling despite a ceasefire agreement officially entering into force on April 17. The agreement was supposed to end military confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.
Fragile Truce and Mutual Accusations
Despite the announcement of the truce, military operations have not completely stopped, as both sides exchange accusations over violations of the agreement, while each side justifies its military operations as a response to breaches by the other.
The latest escalation came days after a fourth round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials, held last Wednesday in the US capital, Washington, under United States sponsorship.
According to what was announced after the talks, the two sides agreed to implement a comprehensive ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, linked to a complete halt to Hezbollah fire and its withdrawal from areas south of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border with Israel.
Security Arrangements in Southern Lebanon
The new arrangements provide for the deployment of the Lebanese army in specific areas of the south, where it would assume exclusive security and military control, with any non-state armed groups excluded from operating inside those areas.
The United States, which is sponsoring the talks between the two sides, seeks to consolidate these arrangements as a preliminary step to prevent renewed confrontations along the Lebanese-Israeli border. However, the continued military strikes raise doubts about their chances of success.
Hezbollah Rejects Direct Negotiations
In contrast, Hezbollah rejected the path of direct negotiations between the Lebanese government and Israel, and sharply criticized the agreements that were reached.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said last Thursday that direct negotiations with Israel represent “a farce and an insult,” considering that political and military pressure will not push the group to abandon its positions.
The party’s position reflects the continued internal divergence in Lebanon over how to deal with the border escalation and the future of the proposed security arrangements in the south.
Background to the Latest War
The roots of the current escalation go back to the war that broke out in Lebanon on March 2, after Hezbollah announced it had fired rockets toward Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the first US and Israeli strikes that targeted Iran on February 28.
This was followed by a large-scale Israeli response that included a series of intensive airstrikes and ground operations inside Lebanese territory, leading to hundreds of deaths and injuries and the displacement of large numbers of residents in border areas.
Aoun Urges Iran Not to Interfere
In a related context, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun directed direct criticism at Iran, calling on it not to interfere in Lebanese affairs.
Aoun said during an interview with the American network CNN, broadcast Friday, addressing Tehran: “This is not your country, it is our country, and your duty is not to interfere in our country.”
The Lebanese president also stressed that addressing the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons and the crisis in the south can only happen through dialogue and diplomatic means. He affirmed that “there is no other way to solve this problem and save what remains except by sitting down and talking, and through negotiations and diplomacy.”
The continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon place the future of the new truce before a difficult test, as fears grow that the latest understandings could collapse and military confrontations could return to broader levels, especially with continued disputes over implementing the agreement’s terms and Hezbollah’s role in border areas.
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