BEIRUT, June 2: Israeli drone strikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least eight people, including a father and his two children, a day after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to reduce hostilities.
The attacks underscored the fragility of efforts to calm the conflict despite ongoing diplomatic engagement.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), one strike hit a car on the road between Marjayoun and Nabatiyeh, killing dentist James Karam from the Christian town of Qlayaa and his son and daughter.
Separate drone strikes killed two Syrian workers at a plant nursery in Jibchit, two people in the nearby village of Toul, and another person near Harouf.
The Lebanese army said two of its soldiers were lightly wounded in a separate drone attack. NNA also reported that an Israeli airstrike on Monday killed six people in the southern village of Marwaniyeh.
The latest violence came after Israel threatened to strike Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday, triggering panic in the Lebanese capital and prompting thousands of residents to flee to safer areas. Hezbollah responded by firing rockets into northern Israel.
Although Israeli forces have recently carried out their deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years, Beirut has largely avoided major attacks in recent weeks except for two targeted strikes in May. Trump said after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and communicating with Hezbollah through mediators that “there will be no troops going to Beirut,” raising hopes of de-escalation.
However, fighting on the ground continued. Hezbollah said its fighters launched anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops advancing into the southern Lebanese village of Hadatha, about seven kilometres from the Israeli border.
The Israeli military reported sirens sounding in northern Israel and said a “suspicious aerial target” had been detected, though no injuries were reported.
The clashes come despite a US-brokered ceasefire reached in April. Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Lebanon, saying they are necessary for self-defence, while Hezbollah has maintained attacks on Israeli positions.
A second round of talks between Israel and Lebanon is scheduled in Washington, where Lebanese negotiators are expected to seek a comprehensive ceasefire to prevent future attacks.
The negotiations, which began in April, are the first direct talks between the two countries in more than 30 years. The conflict has killed 3,433 people in Lebanon and displaced over one million. Israel says at least 27 soldiers, one defence contractor and two civilians have died.
On Monday, Israel also reported the death of a soldier in southern Lebanon and injuries to seven others. Hezbollah’s increasing use of fibre-optic drones has posed a growing challenge to Israeli forces operating in the area. (AP)
