Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has stated that the military will continue its ground operations in southern Lebanon, just hours after Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a US-backed ceasefire to end hostilities. Katz said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle, and that hundreds of thousands of displaced people will not be able to return.
“The IDF will, at this stage, continue its fire and ground operations, remain in the security zone in Lebanon up to the yellow line – including in the Beaufort area – and without the return of the population, while continuing to dismantle terrorist infrastructure on the ground,” Katz said in a statement. He added that the IDF retains the “freedom of action, with American backing, to strike in Beirut in response to fire on Israeli communities and territory.”
The IDF also issued a warning this morning, stating that fighting will continue in southern Lebanon and urging people to “refrain from heading south of the Zahrani River.” Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported several people were wounded in Israeli strikes in the southern Tyre and Nabatieh areas, which have seen repeated attacks in recent weeks.
Ceasefire Agreement Details
Just a day earlier, Israel’s and Lebanon’s governments agreed to implement a conditional ceasefire following a fourth round of talks in Washington. The truce is contingent on a complete cessation of fire from the Hezbollah militia and would reportedly create a number of “pilot” security zones in Lebanon from which the Iran-aligned group’s fighters would be banned.
The truce involves “the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives” from areas south of the Litani River, according to a joint US-Israel-Lebanon statement released by the US state department. It was not immediately clear how the Lebanon security zones would be established, but the agreement calls for the Lebanese army to take full control of those areas.
Hezbollah's Stance
Hezbollah has yet to comment on the ceasefire. The group is not taking part in the talks and firmly opposes them, saying it won’t abide by agreements that may result. A Hezbollah official told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday the group would “not accept a partial ceasefire.”
Other Developments
In other developments, oil prices jumped nearly 2% after attacks on Kuwait tested the fragile truce. Flights at its international airport were suspended after Iranian drone and missile attacks damaged airport facilities and diplomatic missions, killing one person and injuring more than 60, Kuwaiti authorities and state media said. Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways later resumed flights, authorities said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it did not fire at Kuwait’s airport and blamed the destruction on US interceptor missiles that failed to hit their targets, according to Iranian state media. The US military said that was not accurate and that Iranian drones targeted the airport deliberately.
Earlier, Iranian media said the Revolutionary Guard attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a US airbase, as well as a vessel. US Central Command denied its bases had been hit, also saying it had carried out new “defensive strikes” in southern Iran. Iranian negotiations with the US had not been cut off but no progress had been made, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi told Lebanese broadcaster Al Mayadeen on Wednesday. Donald Trump suggested earlier there could be progress for a deal as soon as this weekend. “I hear the negotiation itself is going very well actually,” he said at the White House. “If it happens, it could happen over the weekend.” He told a podcast that Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was involved in the negotiations. Oil prices dropped on news of the Israel-Lebanon truce, with both main crude contracts down more than 1% after jumping back towards $100 this week.
