TEL AVIV: Israel’s military said on Friday that it had carried out strikes on several Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
The strikes came days after Israel and Lebanon signed a US-backed framework agreement aimed at advancing peace between the two countries and facilitating the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that their forces will not withdraw from southern Lebanon until Hezbollah has been disarmed across the country.
“The IDF struck approximately 10 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and a truck used to transfer weapons in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.
The sites were in the areas of the south Lebanon towns of Bint Jbeil, Beit Yahoun, Kounine, and Baraachit, and “were used by Hezbollah to advance attacks against IDF soldiers operating in the Security Zone,” the army said.
The Israeli military said the strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure after its troops came under attack inside the self-declared “security zone,” a strip of territory extending about 10 kilometers (six miles) into southern Lebanon along the border.
It added that a separate strike on a truck allegedly transporting weapons was carried out to eliminate what it described as a threat to Israeli forces.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israel launched three airstrikes on Thursday night, targeting areas near the town of Baraachit in the Bint Jbeil district and Nabatiyeh Al-Fawqa. It also said two people were injured in a separate strike on the town of Seddiqine, near Tyre.
Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday defended his government’s decision to negotiate with Israel, saying the talks were a diplomatic effort to ensure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
In a statement issued by the Lebanese presidency, Aoun said Lebanon would not cede “a single inch” of its territory under the US-backed framework agreement signed with Israel last week.
“Negotiations are not treason but a diplomatic war without unnecessary bloodshed,” Aoun said.
He added that Beirut had chosen to engage in talks “to guarantee Israel’s withdrawal from its territory”.
President Aoun’s comments followed a statement by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday that Israeli forces would remain “until further notice” in “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reaffirmed the policy during a visit to the security zone in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, saying Israeli troops would remain there as long as Hezbollah continued to pose a threat.
The latest conflict began on March 2 after Hezbollah launched missiles into Israel. Israel responded with extensive air strikes and a ground offensive.
Lebanese authorities say the conflict has killed more than 4,200 people in Lebanon.
