Lebanese officials reported Saturday that four individuals lost their lives during Israeli military operations in the country’s southern region, according to Lebanon’s state news agency. The fatalities come as both Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants continue exchanging fire despite an extended ceasefire arrangement.
While the truce between Israel and Lebanon has substantially decreased fighting overall, confrontations persist in southern Lebanon’s border area, where Israeli troops maintain positions in what they describe as a protective buffer zone against the Iran-supported militant organization.
Israeli defense forces announced Saturday they had targeted Hezbollah rocket launching equipment at three separate southern Lebanon sites during overnight operations and struck multiple Hezbollah operatives in additional attacks. Military officials later confirmed they had also hit installations operated by Hezbollah’s specialized Radwan unit in the same region.
Officials have not confirmed whether the four deaths reported by Lebanese state media resulted from these specific Israeli military actions.
Israeli forces renewed their advisory for Lebanese civilians to stay away from the Litani River region in southern Lebanon during ongoing operations against Hezbollah militants.
Military representatives reported intercepting a “suspicious aerial target” in territory currently under their control, while noting that Hezbollah launched two rockets toward northern Israel, with one being successfully intercepted. No injuries were reported from the rocket attacks.
On Friday, a Hezbollah legislator declared the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel meaningless, one day after the truce received a three-week extension. The original ceasefire had been scheduled to end this Sunday.
