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Israeli forces carried out several airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday despite a peace agreement intended to halt military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, according to Lebanese state media.
Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israeli warplanes struck the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area and the eastern outskirts of the nearby town of Kfar Tebnit.
An Israeli drone also targeted the town of Ansariyeh in the Zahrani area, the agency reported.
Violence in Lebanon has declined since the U.S. and Iran announced an agreement Monday to end the wider Middle East war. However, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have killed at least five people since the deal was announced, according to the National News Agency.
The reduction in fighting has allowed some residents of southern Lebanon to return and inspect their towns and villages.
The Lebanese army, however, urged residents to delay returning because of what it described as the continuing risk of Israeli violations and attacks.
The warning came as Israeli forces continued operating in southern Lebanon despite the agreement to stop hostilities.
The U.S.-Iran peace arrangement includes Lebanon, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israeli forces would remain in the country “for as long as necessary.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that ending the conflict would remain incomplete without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Lebanese territory occupied during the war.
“Any military attack by the Zionist regime on Lebanon from now on and the continued occupation of Lebanese territories from now on will be considered a violation of the memorandum of understanding in our view,” Araghchi said.
His remarks directly challenged Israel’s stated intention to maintain its military presence in Lebanon.
The U.S.-Iran agreement was announced as a framework for ending the war across the region, including the fighting in Lebanon.
Hezbollah has not issued any statement since Tuesday claiming responsibility for attacks against Israeli targets in southern Lebanon.
The group’s leader, Naim Qassem, was scheduled to deliver a televised address on Wednesday.
Qassem expressed “profound gratitude” on Tuesday for Iran’s efforts to secure what he described as an immediate and permanent end to Israeli military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Hezbollah entered the wider conflict in early March by firing rockets at Israel following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in the U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Israel responded with a large-scale air campaign and a ground invasion of Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that the number of people killed in Israeli attacks since the war began had risen to 3,826.
The revised toll came as rescue teams continued to recover bodies from the rubble.
Despite the decline in overall violence following the peace announcement, Israeli strikes have continued in southern Lebanon, while disagreement remains over the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the implementation of the agreement.
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