More Lebanon towns evacuated after Israeli soldier dies
Israel issued new evacuation orders for southern Lebanon following the killing of one of its soldiers, warning residents to leave seven towns beyond a “buffer zone” it occupied ahead of a ceasefire that failed to completely halt hostilities.
A spokesman for the Israeli army told channel X that the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire and that Israel would take action against it and tell people to move north and west from the towns.
The towns are located north of the Litani River and in the area occupied by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, which continues its military operations despite the ceasefire. The army said the attack hit Hezbollah fighters, rocket launchers and a weapons depot.
“From our point of view, what obliges us is the security of Israel, the security of our soldiers, the security of our societies,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the cabinet meeting held in Jerusalem on Sunday. he said.
“We are acting strongly according to the rules we have agreed upon with the United States and Lebanon.”
Hezbollah has said it will not stop its attacks on Israeli troops inside Lebanon and towns in northern Israel as long as Israel continues its “ceasefire violations”.
The Iran-backed group added in a statement that it would not wait for diplomacy that “has proven to be ineffective” or trust Lebanese officials who “have failed to protect the country.”
Earlier on Sunday, Hezbollah said it had attacked Israeli troops in Lebanon and the rescue force that had come to evacuate them. The Israeli army announced that one soldier died and six soldiers were injured.
The Israeli army said it captured three drones before they crossed into Israeli territory after sirens went off in northern Israel on Sunday.
The US-brokered ceasefire, which began on April 16 and was extended until mid-May, led to a significant reduction in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, although both sides continued to fire at each other, accusing them of violations.
More than 2,500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the latest war between Hezbollah and Israel began on March 2, just days after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 277 of the dead were women, 177 children and 100 healthcare workers.
The ministry makes no further distinction between militants and civilians, and Hezbollah has not disclosed the total number of its fighters.
The group has buried dozens of fighters in mass burials in recent days. Israel announced that two civilians have died in Israel and 16 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon in Hezbollah attacks since March 2.
