Israeli Troops Kill Two Men Near Nabatieh Al-Fawqa After Ceasefire Lull

Israeli troops shot dead two people in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, in the first fatal incident reported since the latest ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to take hold at the weekend.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two men were killed while they were standing near a bulldozer unblocking a road in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, and NNA identified them as Mohammed Amhaz and Sajed al-Hajj Ali.

Al Jazeera

The Israeli military said soldiers in the Ali al-Taher ridge area, just east of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, fired at "four Hezbollah terrorists riding a bulldozer and a motorcycle" who posed a threat and had crossed into the Israeli-declared "security zone".

Hezbollah condemned the shooting as "a blatant violation of the ceasefire" and did not say whether it would retaliate, while the BBC reported the lull was the longest yet in the war that spilled over from the U.S.-Iran conflict on March 2.

The BBC also reported that Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed at least 4,192 people since the current round of hostilities began, and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

Hezbollah’s military wing, the Islamic Resistance, said in a statement that "What the enemy has committed constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire, which the Resistance has adhered to up to this point".

In Washington, Lebanese and Israeli officials opened talks aimed at advancing what the U.S. state department described as "a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two countries," with Iran insisting Lebanon be covered by the agreement signed with the U.S. last week.

BBC

Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, warned on Tuesday that violations of the ceasefire framework risked derailing broader diplomatic progress and said, "Lebanon is an unquestionable part of the agreement".

The Detroit News reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday night that Israeli troops had full freedom of action against any Hezbollah threat and would remain in Lebanon "as long as is necessary," as the highway south was clogged with cars on Tuesday.

The BBC added that the ceasefire has largely held since Sunday, marking the longest lull in weeks of escalating hostilities, even as it noted another 20 people were killed in fresh Israeli air strikes across Lebanon on Saturday.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem demanded a scheduled withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon in a televised address, saying, "We now have a ceasefire. The withdrawal must take place according to a timetable."

“Hezbollah chief demands full timetabled Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem called for a full Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, while Israel said its forces struck terrorists there despite a recent ceasefire”

CNA

Qassem insisted Israel had "no choice but to fully withdraw from all Lebanese territory, without retaining an inch," and he said, "Israel withdraws and the Lebanese army deploys exclusively south of the Litani River," as a fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected Israel’s occupation of the south and foreign interference in his country’s affairs, and his office said he expressed hope the new round of talks would be "decisive" in helping achieve "the full restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty".

The BBC reported that Tuesday’s deaths came as Lebanese and Israeli officials opened talks in Washington, while the New York Times said the shooting renewed fears that enduring fighting there could disrupt efforts to reach a peace deal between the United States and Iran.

Across the sources, the immediate stakes were tied to ceasefire adherence and the broader U.S.-Iran track, with the BBC noting Iran warned that violations could undermine wider diplomatic efforts and the CNA describing Hezbollah’s condemnation as a "blatant" Israeli truce violation and a "treacherous attack".