Israel and Hezbollah traded attacks across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, hours after a new Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire took effect Sunday and as leaders prepared to sign the Iran-U.S. stop-gap agreement on Friday.
Israeli forces carried out an airstrike near Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatieh district, according to reporters on the ground, and launched raids on the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa. They also shelled the Ali al-Taher heights and the outskirts of the town, Al Jazeera reported.
Hezbollah responded by launching at least 10 rockets toward Israeli forces near Kfar Tebnit, the report said. The Israeli army said a Hezbollah explosive drone detonated near its troops in southern Lebanon, wounding four soldiers, and that minutes later, another drone exploded and injured a fifth soldier.
The continued hostilities come after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire Sunday, but violence has dipped rather than fully stopped since the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran was announced.
Israel and Hezbollah have attacked each other since the Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire was signed Sunday, according to reports.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the military would stay in Lebanon “for as long as necessary,” the BBC reported.
On Tuesday, Lebanese media reported that four people were killed in Israeli attacks in Nabatieh, including in drone strikes on several vehicles. Iran warned Israel that it would deliver a “harsh response” if it did not end its “malice” in Lebanon.
President Donald Trump, speaking at a press conference Wednesday at the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, criticized the Israeli operations. “I think they could do better with respect to Hezbollah,” Trump said. “I am not saying they should not protect themselves. I am saying when two drones are shot into the desert and dropped harmlessly, you do not have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better and, frankly, they could do a better job.”
Hezbollah leader Naim Qasem addressed the developments in a televised statement Wednesday, calling the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding a “great victory.” He urged Lebanon to focus on restoring its sovereignty through the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he would work for an “independent path” when negotiating with Israel, the BBC reported. Aoun added that he is “in favor of a cease-fire and welcome the support of any country that helps us, including Iran.”