Israel Kills Alexander Filin in Southern Lebanon After U.S.-Iran Deal Signing

The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding meant to end the Middle East war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, but Israel continued carrying out limited strikes in Lebanon after the agreement was announced.

CBS News reported that the Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed in fighting in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, in an incident that also wounded seven soldiers, and it identified Master Sgt. Alexander Filin, 29, as the soldier who “fell in combat.”

ABC News

The Guardian said three people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese state media, and it added that Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in fresh clashes with the Israeli military.

The Guardian also reported that the strikes occurred despite the signing of the US-Iran agreement that provides for the end of the war on all fronts in the Middle East, including Lebanon.

Donald Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. expects “a complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel,” and he urged on Truth Social that “We encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold.”

The Guardian reported that Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in fresh clashes with the Israeli military, describing fighting as an attempt to advance from the town of Arnoun towards the outskirts of Kfar Tibnit near Nabatieh.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that residents of southern Lebanon expressed scepticism that hostilities would end after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war.

In the same Al Jazeera report, Israeli officials said they are in talks with the U.S. over continuing Israel’s deployment in southern Lebanon.

The New York Times said the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding declares the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” and it also says the parties undertake “to refrain [from] the threat or use of force against each other” and to ensure Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Democracy Now! reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they have occupied in the war, a full end to the war has not been achieved,” and it added that any military attack on Lebanon from now on would be considered a violation of the memorandum.

Democracy Now! said Israel is continuing to bomb Lebanon, killing at least four people, despite calls by President Trump for Netanyahu to be “more responsible” in Lebanon.

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli officials are in talks with the U.S. over continuing Israel’s deployment in southern Lebanon, leaving southern residents doubtful that the memorandum will bring lasting calm.