Israel strikes in Lebanon despite ceasefire deal
Main Developments in the Israel-Lebanon Conflict
By Steven Scheer, Maya Gebeily and Ahmed Elimam
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, June 4 (Reuters) - Israel will continue to strike Lebanon for the time being and won't be withdrawing from the south, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday, after Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire contingent on Hezbollah halting attacks.
The United States announced Lebanon and Israel had agreed to implement a ceasefire after a meeting in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli officials. But Iran-backed Hezbollah is not a party to the talks, and has yet to comment on the agreement.
Hezbollah's Position and Iranian Influence
The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force - which established Hezbollah in 1982 - said "the minimum demand of the resistance" is Israel's withdrawal to positions it held before the war began and Israeli forces invaded the south.
Continued Airstrikes and Civilian Impact
Israel carried out numerous airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, security sources said. Lebanon's National News Agency reported five people killed in airstrikes in the town of Sohmor. A drone buzzed over Beirut.
The Israeli military, in a warning to residents of the south, said it was continuing to target Hezbollah facilities.
Ceasefire Challenges and Diplomatic Stalemate
The war has ground on despite several ceasefires declared from Washington since April. Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, when the group opened fire in support of Tehran as it came under U.S.-Israeli attack.
The war has become a sticking point in diplomacy towards resolving the regional conflict. Tehran has demanded an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon as part of any deal.
Lebanese Government Response
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the statement issued in Washington was "a final opportunity to secure a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire". Lebanon would convey its position to the U.S. once it received responses from the relevant domestic parties, particularly Hezbollah, he said.
Israel's Security Stance
Israel to Remain in 'Security Zone'
A statement released by the U.S. State Department said the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire was contingent on Hezbollah completely halting fire and the evacuation of all its operatives from the area between the border and the Litani River.
It made no reference to any Israeli withdrawal from the south, where Israel has seized a self-declared security zone, saying it aims to protect northern Israel from attacks.
In a statement, Katz said Israeli forces would remain in the security zone, including the area of Beaufort castle, seized by Israeli forces at the weekend, "and without the return of the population". Israel "will, for the time being, continue its fire and operations on the ground", he said.
Displacement and Humanitarian Concerns
Israel's campaign has forced some 1.2 million people to flee their homes, including hundreds of thousands from southern Lebanon, Lebanese authorities say. Most are Shi'ite Muslims.
Lebanese Army to Control 'Pilot Zones'
The joint statement said Lebanon and Israel agreed "to swiftly advance the creation of pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors".
The Lebanese army deployed into the south as part of a ceasefire agreed in November 2024 to end the last Hezbollah-Israel war, and declared in January that it had established control over the area between the border and the Litani.
President Aoun, a Maronite Christian, and Lebanon's Sunni Muslim Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have been seeking Hezbollah's peaceful disarmament for a year, fuelling tension with the group.
Hezbollah has demanded Beirut quit the Washington talks.
Israeli Political Reactions
Ben-Gvir Says Ceasefire a 'Serious Mistake'
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the ceasefire a "serious mistake" and called for a cabinet vote.
Ben-Gvir said that Hezbollah would not withdraw its fighters from the area south of the Litani River and that the Lebanese Armed Forces were incapable of forcing Hezbollah to comply.
Netanyahu Under Pressure
Netanyahu has come under pressure from political opponents, and some allies, who say he has ceded sovereignty in yielding to the U.S.
Katz said Israel would continue to "dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area" while Israel had "freedom of action, backed by the U.S., to strike in Beirut in response to attacks on Israeli communities and territory".
International and Humanitarian Impact
A U.N. peacekeeper in Lebanon died on Thursday from wounds sustained when mortar shells hit his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon late the previous night, the U.N. peacekeeping mission UNIFIL said.
(Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem, Tom Perry in Beirut, Ahmed Elimam and Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Alexander Cornwell and Tom Perry; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Peter Graff)
