Israel Launches Strikes on Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah Condemns New Agreement

BBC News report states that Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon resulted in the death of at least one individual, shortly after the two countries signed a framework agreement aimed at paving the way for lasting peace. The Lebanese health ministry reported that an Israeli drone targeted the southern town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, leading to additional strikes in the area, injuring at least two others. The Israeli military claimed the drone strike targeted an individual perceived as a threat, without further details. The leader of the armed group Hezbollah, which did not participate in the negotiations of the agreement brokered on Friday by the U.S., accused the Beirut government of undermining Lebanon's sovereignty. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the agreement reached in Washington as 'historic' and 'a blow to Iran and Hezbollah'. The four-point framework agreement mandates Israel's withdrawal of forces from the area south of the Litani River, with the Lebanese army taking exclusive control of the vacated lands. However, Israeli forces are authorized to remain in an expanded security zone in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah's secretary-general, Naeem Qassem, accused the Lebanese government on Saturday of making devastating concessions. He stated that the framework agreement in Washington is humiliating and a concession of sovereignty, labeling it 'null and void'. Qassem criticized provisions linking Israel's withdrawal to the disarmament of the group, stating they have crossed 'all red lines'. He also accused the Lebanese authorities of committing a 'grave mistake' that could 'even lead to the annexation of these territories', vowing that Hezbollah would continue its armed resistance. Later Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israeli forces were ordered to 'prepare for a prolonged stay in the security zone', referring to an area extending up to 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory. Lebanon became embroiled in the conflict on March 2, when Hezbollah, backed by Iran, launched missiles towards Israel in response to an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. Israel retaliated with airstrikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion of the south. The Lebanese health ministry reports that Israeli attacks in Lebanon have resulted in at least 4,192 deaths since the onset of the current round of hostilities, with over 11,600 injured and more than 1.2 million displaced according to Lebanese government data. Israel reports that 36 of its soldiers and four civilians were killed on both sides of the border. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on April 16 failed to stop the fighting. Israel and Lebanon agreed in June to renew the fragile ceasefire between them, with the United States stating it would assist in guiding the establishment of 'trial areas, where Lebanese armed forces would take exclusive control of the land, excluding all non-state actors.'