Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon killed three people on Thursday, according to Lebanese state media, only hours after the United States and Iran formally signed an agreement aimed at ending the Middle East conflict.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the Kfar Tebnit area, killing two people. The agency had earlier reported a lower death toll before updating the figures.
A separate drone strike in the nearby village of Zebdine killed another individual, the NNA added.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced that one of its soldiers was killed in an incident in southern Lebanon overnight, while seven others were wounded.
The strikes came despite a noticeable reduction in hostilities since Washington and Tehran announced on Monday that they had reached an agreement intended to halt fighting across the region.
Israel Vows to Continue Operations in Southern Lebanon
Israel’s military said it would continue conducting operations in southern Lebanon and act against perceived threats beyond its designated security zone despite the newly signed US-Iran agreement.
The military released a map showing its declared “security zone”, extending approximately 10 kilometres inside Lebanese territory. It said Israeli forces would remain deployed there “to remove threats and strengthen the defence of Israel’s northern residents”.
In a subsequent statement, an Israeli military official said the army “will continue to remove threats to IDF soldiers and the civilians of the State of Israel that are identified beyond the security zone”.
The remarks came a day after Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum of understanding intended to end the regional conflict, including hostilities on the Lebanese front.
The Israeli official also urged the Lebanese Armed Forces to coordinate with Israeli troops and advised civilians not to enter the security zone.
US Imposes Sanctions on Lebanese Figures
Separately, the United States imposed sanctions on two senior Lebanese political figures and several companies linked to a prominent businessman, accusing them of hindering Lebanon’s peace process and delaying Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Those sanctioned include Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh and senior Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmud Qamati.
The disarmament of Hezbollah remains a central demand of both Washington and Tel Aviv, while Lebanon’s government has also instructed the group to surrender its weapons.
Hezbollah has rejected those demands and has repeatedly called on Lebanese authorities to end direct negotiations with Israel currently taking place in Washington.
US authorities alleged that Frangieh used his alliance with Hezbollah to advance his party’s objectives in parliament. Frangieh is a former Lebanese minister and head of the Marada Movement, a Christian political party based in northern Lebanon.
