Arabic version: غارات إسرائيلية تقتل خمسة في لبنان بعد إعلان ترامب عن خفض التصعيد
According to Al Jazeera,
At least five people have been killed in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese state media, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement to de-escalate fighting that neither Israel nor the Lebanese group Hezbollah has publicly accepted. The National News Agency (NNA) reported that two Syrians were killed in an Israeli attack on a plant nursery where they were working in the town of Jebchit in Nabatieh governorate.
Israeli drone strikes hit a motorcycle on Martyr Sabra Street in Toul and a car in the Dhi’at al-Arab neighborhood of Ansar, killing two people, NNA said. Separately, a drone attack killed the driver of a car in Nabatieh, NNA said. These incidents occurred shortly after Trump revealed that he had held separate phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah leaders and announced that Israel and the Iran-aligned armed group had agreed to de-escalate attacks.
Under the proposed agreement, Hezbollah would refrain from firing into Israel, while the Israeli military would cease striking the southern suburbs of Beirut. However, both Israel and Hezbollah have not publicly accepted this arrangement. The situation has escalated dramatically, with Israeli forces conducting significant incursions and bombardments in Lebanon, raising concerns about the stability of the ceasefire.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported from Beirut that Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for any cross-border attacks since Trump’s announcement, although it has engaged Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military has faced casualties, with at least two soldiers reported killed in the last 24 hours in the area of Beaufort Castle, a strategic hilltop position recently seized by Israeli forces.
Trump emphasized his commitment to peace, stating on his Truth Social platform that he hoped for a permanent cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. However, the fragile nature of the situation remains evident, as both sides continue to accuse each other of violating ceasefire agreements. Since March 2, Israeli attacks have reportedly resulted in at least 3,433 deaths in Lebanon, while Israel has lost 27 soldiers in the same period.
