Tensions along the border between Israel and Lebanon remain at a critical high point after new air strikes and artillery shelling by the Israeli army killed four people in southern Lebanon.
The information about the civilian and combat casualties was confirmed by Lebanese health authorities and local media. As noted by the agency Anadolu Ajansı, The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that the total number of deaths in the country since the escalation began on March 2 has now reached 4,328, and the number of injured exceeds 12,200.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) justified its latest actions with operational necessity to “eliminate an imminent threat“. In an official statement from the army, released by Reuters, it is stated that the air force attacked a Hezbollah cell in the Tebnit area of southern Lebanon. The strike was carried out immediately after Israeli soldiers detected an enemy drone operated by the fighters who tried to seek cover near IDF positions. According to Tel Aviv, this activity constitutes a direct violation of the ceasefire agreements.
These attacks come at an extremely delicate political moment - just weeks after the signing of the mediation framework agreement on June 26 and the de-escalation talks held in Rome. The peace plan, supported by the United States, provides for a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from the occupied southern territories and the transfer of control to the Lebanese regular army, recalls Al Jazeera. However, the ongoing strikes threaten the actual implementation of the pilot security zones.