Israeli strikes hit four districts in Southern Lebanon
Shafaq News- Beirut (Updated at 22:32)
Israeli forces carried out fresh strikes and military operations across southern Lebanon on Sunday, according to local media, despite a US-mediated framework agreement outlining a phased Israeli withdrawal from the area.
In the Nabatiyeh district, an Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb over Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa after striking the town. Bint Jbeil witnessed a drone strike on an open area in Froun, which Mayor Hassan Bazzi described as the first ceasefire violation inside the town since the agreement took effect, saying it endangered civilians and spread fear among residents. Another drone dropped two sound bombs near a house in Baraachit, while a sound bomb in Burj Qallawiyeh wounded two people, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
Warplanes targeted the outskirts of Deir Seryan and Taybeh in Marjaayoun, while troops in Khiam detonated explosives, burned homes, and advanced with military vehicles inside the town.
Israeli forces also fired cluster munitions toward the outskirts of Shebaa and Shwaya in Hasbaya, as reconnaissance aircraft flew over Tyre and nearby areas, warplanes conducted low-altitude flights and a simulated raid over the Hermel highlands, and a drone was reported over Beirut's southern suburbs.
The Health Ministry said the cumulative toll from the Israeli offensive between March 2 and June 28 had reached 4,247 dead and 12,195 wounded, including women and children.
The framework agreement, signed in Washington on Friday after a fifth round of negotiations, sets out a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. It begins with two pilot zones to be transferred to the Lebanese army after armed groups are disarmed and their infrastructure dismantled. Lebanon's two main Shia parties, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, along with other groups and parliamentary blocs, rejected the trilateral framework, describing it as unbalanced and a threat to Lebanese sovereignty.
Despite the deal, the Israeli army continues its operations in southern Lebanon, with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz stressing that no withdrawal will be made unless Hezbollah disarms.
