Israeli strike kills one in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah rejects new deal
An Israeli drone strike killed one person and wounded two in southern Lebanon, a day after a US-brokered deal between the two countries. Hezbollah's leader condemned the agreement as humiliating and a surrender of sovereignty, vowing to continue armed resistance.
Israeli air strikes in Lebanon killed one person and wounded at least two more on Saturday, according to Lebanon's health ministry and state news agency. The strike targeted the southern town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, with further attacks reported in the area.
The Israeli military said it carried out the drone strike on an individual who posed a threat to its forces, without elaborating.
The attack came a day after Israel and Lebanon signed a US-brokered framework agreement aimed at paving the way for lasting peace. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the deal, calling it "humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty" and declaring it "null and void." He criticized provisions linking Israel's withdrawal to the group's disarmament, saying they crossed "all red lines," and accused the Lebanese government of a "grave blunder" that could lead to annexation of land.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the agreement as "historic" and "a blow to Iran and Hezbollah." Under the four-point framework, Israel will withdraw forces from the South Litani area while the Lebanese army takes exclusive control, but Israeli forces may remain in an expanded security zone.
On Saturday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered troops to "prepare for an extended stay in the security zone" — up to 10 kilometers inside Lebanon.
Lebanon was drawn into the conflict on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. Since then, Israeli attacks have killed at least 4,192 people in Lebanon, wounded over 11,600, and displaced more than 1.2 million, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel reports 36 soldiers and four civilians killed.
A US-brokered ceasefire on April 16 failed to stop the fighting. In June, Israel and Lebanon agreed to renew the fragile ceasefire, and the US pledged to help create "pilot zones" under exclusive Lebanese army control.
