Israeli tanks deployed along the border with southern Lebanon on June 22, 2026. (Credit: Jalaa MAREY/AFP)
SOUTH LEBANON — Israel yet again violated the "cease-fire" numerous times on Tuesday, killing two people in southern Lebanon. The violations shattered three days of relative calm that had accompanied the start of the U.S.-Iran negotiations in Switzerland aimed at transforming the current cease-fire into a comprehensive, lasting regional agreement and bringing a definitive end to the war launched on Feb. 28 by Israel and the U.S. against Iran.
Israeli occupying forces claimed they fired on four people who they alleged had entered the occupied zone in southern Lebanon, which extends nearly 10 km deep into Lebanese territory.
The main attack occurred in Nabatieh Fawqa (Nabatieh), where the Israeli army opened fire on civilians who had gone to inspect their homes in the al-Dair neighborhood, Mayor Zain Ghandour told our regional correspondent.
Three people were wounded, including two critically, who later died of their injuries, according to a medical source at Al Najda Hospital, where they had been rushed to following the attack.
These were the first deaths by Israeli fire recorded since Israel suspended its offensive under pressure from the U.S. and Iran. On Monday, Tehran's U.N. ambassador Ali Bahreini emphasized that attacks on Lebanon constitute a "red line" that Washington and its Israeli ally must not cross. The same day, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli army would remain in the areas it occupies in southern Lebanon for "as long as necessary" and would retain "freedom of action" there. Meanwhile, another round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel took place on Tuesday in Washington.
First Israeli strike since Saturday
In a statement, Hezbollah accused Israel of "flagrantly" violating the "cease-fire" and asserted its right to "self-defense." The group said Israeli soldiers opened fire at around 11:30 a.m. from homes where they had been lying in ambush. It added that those targeted were working to reopen roads and recover the bodies of people still buried beneath the rubble. According to the statement, one of the victims was a municipal employee.
An Israeli drone also carried out a strike on a car parked on the outskirts of the village of Braasheet (Bint Jbeil) near Beit Yahoun, just as a new round of talks between Lebanon and Israel was getting underway in Washington, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon. No information on possible casualties was available by the evening. This was the first Israeli strike in Lebanon since Saturday.
Further Israeli truce violations in Lebanon
Another Israeli truce violation occurred in Hadatha, in the Bint Jbeil district, where the Israeli army opened fire on a funeral procession heading to the local cemetery. According to Mayor Eid Mansour, villagers were preparing, in coordination with the Red Cross, to bury two residents after obtaining approval through the Lebanese Army from the "cease-fire" coordination committee between Hezbollah and Israel, also known as the "Mechanism." The body was created following the first "cease-fire" reached in November 2024 to end the previous war between the two sides, which Israel violated over 10,000 times.
The Israeli army opened fire as participants reached the entrance of the village, our correspondent reported. The two bodies were subsequently transferred and temporarily buried in Tibnin (Bint Jbeil). During the incident, the Israeli army also positioned three Merkava tanks and a bulldozer at the entrance to the cemetery.
Three other incidents were reported between the morning and early afternoon. Small Israeli drones dropped stun grenades on the outskirts of Braasheet and Aita al-Jabal, both in the Bint Jbeil district, our correspondent in the South reported.
Before these incidents, the night had been largely calm despite a few attacks. Israeli drones dropped stun grenades over Nabatieh, at the entrances to the villages of Zawtar Sharqieh and Zawtar Gharbieh, as well as over Haddatha (Bint Jbeil), Nabatieh Fawqa, Kfar Tibnit, and Kfar Roummane in the Nabatieh district. Israel also fired three artillery shells near Mansouri, in the Sour district. At around 2 a.m., the Israeli army opened machine-gun fire in several neighborhoods of Khiam (Marjayoun).
Meanwhile, southern Lebanese residents continued to return home, though most went to inspect their homes and businesses, as they tentatively wait for further security developments.
Israel has completely destroyed more than 11,000 buildings in southern Lebanon since the start of the re-escalation of its war on Lebanon on March 2, according to a new report published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in coordination with the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS-L). The report also estimates the value of direct damage to buildings in southern Lebanon at $1.38 billion, with a volume of rubble of approximately 3.1 million cubic meters, as of April 29, 2026. The findings are based on a rapid assessment comparing satellite imagery from late April and October 2025.
According to the latest figures published by the Health Ministry, Israel has killed 4,192 people and injured 12,171 others in Lebanon since March 2.
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