BEIRUT, Lebanon: Israel renewed its strikes on Lebanon on Sunday, Lebanese state media reported, two days after a US-brokered agreement was signed by the two countries to end hostilities.
The latest Israeli strikes come a day after one person was killed in an Israeli strike on the south, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, with the Israeli military saying it targeted Hezbollah members near its self-proclaimed “security zone”, which reaches 10 kilometres (6 miles) into Lebanon.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported several strikes on Sunday.
The Israeli army said a soldier “fell in combat” in southern Lebanon.
In a later statement, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir approved plans for “continued operations in the security zone, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement”.
In March, Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, and Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told his US counterpart Donald Trump on Saturday that his country “would assume its responsibilities” in implementing the framework agreement, which was signed in Washington on Friday after five rounds of talks.
The deal aims to pave the way for peace between Israel and Lebanon, who have been at war for decades.
The agreement makes any Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese land conditional on Beirut disarming Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal “historic” for his country.
Hezbollah strongly opposed the talks with Israel from the start and rejects the agreement, with leader Naim Qassem saying on Saturday that the group would treat the deal as “null and void” and describing it as “a surrender of sovereignty”.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said on Sunday that “the agreement of humiliation and disgrace signed by the authorities will never see the light of day”.
According to the text of the deal shared by the US State Department, Lebanon and Israel expressed their intent to “conclusively end the conflict, address its underlying causes and… formally conclude any state of war between them”.
Under the agreement, Lebanon’s military will “restore effective sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory, pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups”.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz, however, has insisted troops will stay in Lebanon so long as Hezbollah remains armed.
