Israeli Attacks Kill 2 in Southern Lebanon Amid Ongoing Washington Talks

The Deadly Israeli Attack

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon has killed at least two people, despite fighting between Israel and Hezbollah quieting down in recent days after demands by both the United States and Iran for a ceasefire.

The deadly Israeli attack on Wednesday targeted a vehicle on the Tallat al-Dabsha road near Kfar Reman in the Nabatieh district, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported. Soon after, Israel’s military targeted the outskirts of the town of Yater in the Bint Jbeil area with artillery shells, NNA added.

Violation of Ceasefire

The attacks are the latest violation of a renewed ceasefire reached last week following an agreement between the US and Iran aimed at working to end the wider Middle East war.

The Israeli army claimed it was targeting Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

Impact on Washington Talks

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the military will not withdraw from Lebanon “even if there is an American demand”. He added, “200,000 residents will not return”, speaking to The Times of Israel about the people forcibly displaced from southern Lebanon.

“What happened in the past when there was a civilian population [present] was roadside bombs and attacks against the [Israeli] soldiers, and therefore we will not allow that,” Katz added. “We are not withdrawing.”

Future Outlook

“What we are seeing is a reduction, but not a cessation, of Israeli military activity here in southern Lebanon,” said Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett, reporting from the Lebanese town of Tyre on Wednesday.

Many people originally from southern Lebanon have returned home, Pett added, despite the constant threat of attacks. In the town of Abbasiyeh, near the city of Tyre, 80 percent of people have returned over recent days, according to the local mayor.