Israeli military strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 18 individuals across southern Lebanon. Lebanese authorities report that the overall death toll from the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which began last month, has now exceeded 2,000.
On Saturday, Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli strikes on a village near Sidon in southern Lebanon killed at least eight people and wounded nine others. Earlier reports from the ministry indicated that at least 10 people, including three emergency workers, had been killed in Israeli strikes within the Nabatieh district.
The Health Ministry’s latest figures show that at least 2,020 people have been killed and 6,436 others wounded since Lebanon became embroiled in the US-Israel war on Iran on March 2. The conflict escalated after Hezbollah launched rocket fire at Israel, reportedly in support of Iran, leading to extensive Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that two Israeli soldiers sustained injuries during clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Saturday. Israel’s Channel 13, citing military sources, stated that the two soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade suffered moderate shrapnel wounds during the confrontation.
The surge in violence coincides with Iran-backed Hezbollah reiterating its rejection of direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon aimed at ending the war. Despite this, President Joseph Aoun’s office announced on Friday that officials from Lebanon, Israel, and the United States are scheduled to meet next week in Washington to discuss a potential ceasefire declaration and the commencement of negotiations under US auspices.
In Beirut, hundreds gathered near the government headquarters on Saturday to express support for Hezbollah and protest against any talks with Israel. Some demonstrators waved Hezbollah’s yellow flags or the Iranian standard. Ruqaya Msheik, a demonstrator, articulated the protest’s message, stating that Lebanon “will not be Israeli” and that “Whoever wants peace with Israel is not Lebanese… Those who shake hands with the enemy … are Zionists.”
Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, issued a joint statement urging supporters to avoid demonstrations “at this delicate stage,” emphasizing the importance of “stability, the protection of civil peace and avoiding any division that the Israeli enemy seeks.” Earlier, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah condemned the decision to hold direct talks with Israel as “a blatant violation of the [national] pact, the constitution and Lebanese laws.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that any peace agreement reached with Lebanon must “last for generations” and include Hezbollah’s disarmament. A recent ceasefire announcement between the US and Iran this week has led to disagreements between Washington and Tehran over whether it also extends to Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Lebanon. This dispute emerged during historic in-person ceasefire talks held in Islamabad, Pakistan, between the US and Iran on Saturday afternoon.
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Tehran, indicated that Iran managed to secure “a kind of guarantee from the US that Israel is going to decrease its attacks on Lebanon.” However, he noted that “nothing [has] been confirmed … from Israel, with respect to Lebanon.” While there have been “fewer attacks on Beirut and the southern suburbs,” no official ceasefire announcement has been made regarding Lebanon.
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