Israeli strike kills two in southern Lebanon despite Washington talks

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed at least two people on Wednesday, despite a recent lull in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah after calls for a ceasefire by the United States and Iran. The attack occurred as Israeli and Lebanese officials meet in Washington for another round of talks aimed at ending hostilities between the neighboring countries.

According to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA), the strike targeted a vehicle on the Tallat al-Dabsha road near Kfar Reman in the Nabatieh district. Shortly after, Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of Yater in the Bint Jbeil area. These attacks mark the latest violation of a renewed ceasefire reached last week following an agreement between the US and Iran to work toward ending the broader Middle East war.

The Israeli army claimed it was targeting Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. Israel's continued military presence in Lebanese territory has been a contentious issue in the ongoing Washington talks. Lebanese officials have stressed that Israeli troops must leave Lebanese soil and cease attacks for the ceasefire to hold. Israel, however, has said it will only withdraw when Hezbollah is fully disarmed.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the military will not withdraw from Lebanon "even if there is an American demand." He added that "200,000 residents will not return," referring to 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 said.

"What we are seeing is a reduction, but not a cessation, of Israeli military activity here in southern Lebanon," reported Al Jazeera's Heidi Pett from the Lebanese town of Tyre. "Many people originally from southern Lebanon have returned home despite the constant threat of attacks," she added. In Abbasiyeh, near Tyre, 80% of residents have returned in recent days, according to the local mayor.

Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan in Washington, DC, said the latest round of Israel-Lebanon talks is expected to include a military-to-military component. "There is a proposal, perhaps, to allow Lebanese forces to replace Israeli forces, so long as they have been vetted by the United States as having no links to Hezbollah," she said.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told a visiting British delegation on Wednesday that his government will deploy the Lebanese army in the south after the Israeli military withdraws. Reconstruction of destroyed areas will follow, Aoun said, adding that the Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington are separate from the US-Iran negotiations. Hezbollah has condemned the Lebanon-Israel talks in the US, demanding the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon first.