Israeli Drone Strike Kills Two Near Kfar Rumman, Hezbollah Denounces Truce Violation

An Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed two people on Wednesday, June 24, Lebanese state media reported, as Hezbollah denounced it as another "violation" of a truce between the two sides.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said that "two people were killed" when an Israeli drone targeted their vehicle near the town of Kfar Rumman.

Al Jazeera

The Israeli military said it targeted "two armed Hezbollah terrorists in the area of Ali al-Taher Ridge" near Nabatieh and also struck "a vehicle carrying suspects... crossing the security zone" in the same area.

Hezbollah accused Israel of deliberately targeting Lebanese citizens who were inspecting their homes near Kfar Rumman, and said it was "monitoring and documenting these violations".

The Le Monde report also tied the renewed violence to wider negotiations, noting that Iran war mediators Pakistan and Qatar said Tehran and Washington had agreed to set up a "de-confliction cell" to limit flare-ups in Lebanon after talks in Switzerland.

Despite fighting quieting down in recent days, Al Jazeera said an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed at least two people as officials from Israel and Lebanon met in the US for another round of talks aimed at ending fighting between the neighbouring countries.

Al Jazeera reported that the deadly attack targeted a vehicle on the Tallat al-Dabsha road near Kfar Reman in the Nabatieh district, and that Israel later said it "struck" two people who crossed a "security zone" in the area.

Al Jazeera

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz told reporters that the military will not withdraw from Lebanon, saying, "We have announced that in any case we are not withdrawing" and that "there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon," in an interview in Tel Aviv.

The Guardian framed the same stance as undermining Iran peace talks, quoting Katz’s line that "The IDF is prepared … and we are not retreating."

In Washington, Al Jazeera also reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the only reason Israel is in Lebanon is because Hezbollah launches rockets and drones from there, while Lebanese politicians affirmed it is essential that Israeli troops leave Lebanese territory and cease their attacks for the ceasefire to hold.

The BBC reported that the Iranian army threatened to respond to Israel after five people were killed in attacks on southern Lebanon, with the Khāṭam al-Anbiyā’ Headquarters warning that if the Zionist regime’s army did not put an end to its malice, it should expect a "severe response" from Iranian armed forces.

“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”

Al Jazeera

The BBC also said Israeli drone attacks targeted three vehicles in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding others, and that Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on several areas in southern Lebanon on Wednesday despite Washington and Tehran’s announcement of an agreement to end the war in the Middle East.

In parallel, the BBC described how some displaced Lebanese began checking on their towns and villages where Israeli forces are not present, while the Lebanese army and Hezbollah urged residents to "pause," warning of the danger of Israeli violations and attacks.

Al Jazeera reported that UN peacekeepers said there were no missile trajectories or air strikes from midnight to 4pm local time (13:00 GMT) on Wednesday, while Farhan Haq said UNIFIL "observed ongoing Israeli airspace violations, mostly by drones."

As the diplomatic track continued, Al Jazeera said the second day of the fifth round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Washington concluded at approximately 20:00 GMT, and that the expected talks were aimed at ending fighting between the neighbouring countries.