Two Israeli soldiers were killed and four others seriously wounded in an explosion in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to the Israeli military. This incident is the first Israeli loss of life since a tentative truce between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah took effect approximately two months ago.
An Israeli military official stated that an explosion occurred when the soldiers entered a site in the village of Majdal Zoun, and the nature of the explosive is currently under investigation. Israeli media reported the deaths a day prior to the military's announcement.
This comes after the Israeli army launched strikes into southern Lebanon on Wednesday, citing a Hezbollah violation of the cease-fire. Israel had issued a rare warning for residents of the village of Mansouri to evacuate, the first such warning in weeks. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported one person killed and 12 wounded in an Israeli strike in the town of Tebnine, with an additional eight injured in overnight strikes on Burj al-Shemali. Artillery shelling also affected Mansouri and Majdal Zoun, according to the state-run National News Agency.
There has been no official statement from Hezbollah. The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, following Hezbollah's rocket fire across the border, two days after the U.S. and Israel initiated operations in Iran. Since then, over 4,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, including many civilians. On the Israeli side, approximately 40 soldiers and three civilians, including a military contractor, have died.
The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, reported recording 113 projectiles launched by the Israeli military on Wednesday, the highest number since June 21.
Truce and Negotiations
The current fragile truce, which has largely held since June 20, has seen Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and conduct periodic airstrikes and shelling. The recent escalation occurred as Lebanese and Israeli negotiators met in Rome to discuss the implementation of a June 26 agreement. This deal is intended for Israeli forces to withdraw from occupied southern Lebanese areas and allow the Lebanese army to assume control in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament. Hezbollah has not been a party to this agreement and has opposed direct Lebanon-Israel talks, accusing the Lebanese government of making too many concessions without securing an Israeli withdrawal.
Wednesday's negotiations were briefly suspended due to the on-the-ground escalation but resumed on Thursday. The talks have focused on establishing "pilot zones" for Israeli withdrawal and Lebanese army control. The initial implementation involved a zone not occupied by Israeli forces but previously subjected to Israeli fire. The Lebanese army entered the town of Zawtar al-Gharbieh, with some civilians returning to find their homes destroyed.
A diplomat familiar with the negotiations indicated that Lebanon had proposed the next pilot zone be in either Khiam or Bint Jbeil, areas that experienced heavy fighting during the recent war and are currently occupied by Israeli forces. However, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa suggested prior to the talks that the rapid implementation of new zones could endanger civilians, implying no immediate new zones would be established.