Israeli Strikes Kill One In South Lebanon As Evacuation Orders Widen

Israeli air attacks in southern Lebanon have left one person dead, even though a United States-backed ceasefire is said to be in place.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said the fatality happened when Israel struck the municipality of Maarakeh in the Tyre district of the country’s south.

Al Jazeera correspondent Heidi Pett, speaking from Beirut, reported that Israeli strikes continued through Friday and into the night against towns and villages located well beyond the area Israel refers to as the “Yellow Line”. That zone is the section of southern Lebanon Israel has been trying to hold and control.

The latest raids followed a Friday statement from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said the United States and Iran had settled on the wording of a proposed agreement intended to bring the Middle East war to an end. Mediators, he said, were still working with both governments to complete the deal.

Iranian media have reported that the preliminary text would announce an end to fighting “on all fronts, including Lebanon”. That has raised concern that continued Israeli action in Lebanon could undermine the agreement, as Israel is not taking part in the US-Iran talks and Israeli leaders have said they do not intend to pull out of Lebanon.

The strikes are also taking place despite a ceasefire arrangement reached earlier this month by Israeli and Lebanese officials. That understanding called for a “complete cessation” of Hezbollah fire, but hostilities have not stopped.

A further round of talks between the United States and Iran is expected on June 22, with negotiators aiming for a wider agreement.

At daybreak, Israeli attacks destroyed homes and public buildings in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, according to the NNA.

Israel’s military also instructed people in 20 Lebanese towns and villages to evacuate at once and relocate “north of the Zahrani River”. The order covered Deir al-Zahrani, al-Namirieh, al-Sharquieh, al-Dewayr, Harouf, Habboush, Kfarjoz, Zibdine in Nabatieh, Nabatieh al-Tahta, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfar Rouman, Al-Mahmoudieh, Sajed in Jezzine, Reihan, Aaramta, Kfarchouba, Mlki, Al-Lawiza in Jezzine, Jarjouh and Arab Salim.

On Saturday, Israel’s military said sirens were triggered in the northern town of Metula after what it described as the “infiltration of a hostile aircraft” from Lebanon. It did not identify Hezbollah as responsible.