• An Israeli attack has killed two people in the city of Nabatieh, as
• Israel’s defense minister says the military will not withdraw from southern Lebanon even if the US demands it.
• Talks between Lebanon and Israel continue in Washington, DC, with the US proposing “pilot zones”, where Israeli forces transfer territory to vetted Lebanese army units.

Israeli strike kills 2 in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

Two people were killed in a strike on their car in an area close to the city of Nabatieh. But it’s not the only Israeli military activity that has happened yesterday.

There was also a reported strike on Nabatieh al-Fawqa. It is unclear whether there are any casualties.

The Israeli military has also been active on the ground in Ain al-Arab, a village in southern Lebanon. People have been returning to their homes there over the course of the past two days after the Lebanese military opened the roads to the village.

An Israeli military patrol showed up, along with a bulldozer. They contacted the local community leader and told him that if people didn’t get out of their homes, they would be demolished by 5pm local time on Wednesday (14:00 GMT).

That deadline has passed, and most people have left that village once again.

All of this comes in the context of the discussion in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors about establishing pilot zones, where exactly this kind of thing is supposed to happen – the Israeli military is supposed to withdraw, and the Lebanese army is supposed to deploy.

Israeli soldier killed during operation in southern Lebanon, military says

An Israeli soldier has been killed during “operational activity” in southern Lebanon, the army says.

The military identified him as 32-year-old Major Basel Suaid.

Israeli soldier killed during operation in southern Lebanon

An Israeli soldier has been killed during “operational activity” in southern Lebanon, the army says.

The military identified him as 32-year-old Major Basel Suaid.

Basil Suaid, 32, a driver in the 75th battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade, was killed when his refueling truck overturned in an accident during operational activity, the Israeli army said.

Another soldier was also injured in the incident, with moderate wounds, it said.

Israeli army confirms soldier’s death.

“..operational activity..” can even mean acting while trying to seek cover of an Hezbollah defensive attack.

US-backed Lebanon talks struggle over Israeli occupation, Hezbollah disarmament

Those talks in Washington are focusing on the issue of Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon.

Lebanon wants Israel to leave southern Lebanon, but there are statements by Israeli officials saying that they will not leave even if the US demands it, and statements by Netanyahu saying that Israeli troops will not leave as long as he is in office.

The US too is signaling that Israeli troops could be there for a while, with US Secretary of State Rubio saying this withdrawal is going to be part of a process and will not happen overnight.

The US ambassador to Lebanon, who is very much involved in those negotiations, is also saying the withdrawal will not happen today or tomorrow, but it will happen.

So this could take some time because they are discussing the possibility of handing over some territory to the Lebanese army, and the Lebanese army is going to have to clear the area.

The main sticking point is that the Lebanese army and Hezbollah are fine if this happens south of the Litani River. What the Israeli army wants is the dismantling of Hezbollah infrastructure to happen north of the Litani River.

So a lot of sticking points with Israel using its presence in southern Lebanon as a way to pressure the Lebanese state and Hezbollah to agree to disarm.

".. Israeli troops could be there for a while .."

On June 24, 2026, Marco Rubio said during his visit to Kuwait:

"The more of that area the Lebanese armed forces is able to secure, the less of it is in Hezbollah's control, the less Israel will be in Lebanon."

This is clear putting the responsibility on an army that is not even able to fight its enemy out of the country.

It is Netanyahu who started the war on Iran, and spilled over his war to Lebanon by assassinating the Iranian Supreme Leader, knowing that Hezbollah would respond.

Now, Rubio wants the Lebanese army to clean up the mess that Netanyahu started to create on March 2, 2026, and continues to create, while refusing to leave Lebanon.

Drone strikes Kfar Tibnit, a front-line village near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon

A drone strike in the front-line village of Kfar Tibnit on the outskirts of the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon has been reported.

The Israeli army continues to target anyone or anything that moves in villages that lie along the area it occupies in southern Lebanon.

They control those villages by fire – whether it is in Kfar Tibnit, Nabatieh, Fawqa, Kfar Rouman or even in other areas across southern Lebanon.

"...  to target anyone or anything that moves  ..."

This sounds like the Israeli army directive "Treat everyone and everything that moves and not move as ..[Hezbollah].."

Bringing to practice such a directive is resorting to conflation, which is refusing to distinct civilians from military objective therefore a war crime.

Lebanese military say Israeli forces have not withdrawn from part of their buffer zone in the south

A Lebanese military source has told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces remain deployed in all the areas they recently occupied.

The statement came after the Reuters news agency reported a US State Department official as saying Israel had withdrawn from parts of the area as an act of “good faith” towards Lebanon’s government.

Israeli drone attack kills two in southern Lebanon: Report

At least two people have been killed in a drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon, Reuters has reported, quoting Lebanese medical and security sources.

Israeli military burns down houses in southern Lebanese village

The Israeli military has burned down several houses in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Arab, the country’s National News Agency (NNA) has reported.

The news agency said that the military assault followed warnings since yesterday to residents to evacuate the town.

Villagers in Ain Arab had returned just a day before, after the Lebanese army reopened the road linking Ain Arab and the town of Al-Mari, which had been closed for weeks, the NNA reported.

Lebanon death toll climbs to 4,230 after months of Israeli attacks

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed 4,230 people and wounded 12,179 others between March 2 and June 25.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon – some held for decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war. During its latest invasion, Israeli forces advanced more than 10km (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory.

A recently signed memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran calls for ending hostilities across multiple fronts, including Lebanon, as part of efforts to reach a lasting peace agreement between the two sides.

Final round of Lebanon-Israel talks begins in Washington

The final session of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel has begun at the US State Department in Washington, DC.

The talks come as Washington pushes for a diplomatic track while Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon, raising questions whether negotiations can produce a lasting political arrangement.

Under US pressure, Lebanese officials began direct talks in April with Israel in Washington. Commenting on the negotiations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two neighbors are close to making a “commitment of intent”.

Israeli strike kills 3 in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says an Israeli strike on a car in Mefdoun, in the Nabatieh district, has killed three people and wounded one other.

Hezbollah-ally Iran has warned Israel to halt its attacks and threatened a response if it fails to do so. Israel is under pressure internationally to withdrawal its forces currently occupying southern Lebanon – another key demand by Tehran in negotiations with Washington.

Israel says it will keep troops in south Lebanon until Hezbollah disarmed

Israel says it will continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon until Hezbollah disarms even as US-mediated talks between the two sides continue in Washington, DC.

David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, said Israel won’t pull back its troops unless Hezbollah is disarmed and demilitarized.

“We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat, is not disarmed and demilitarized,” Mencer told reporters.

Asked about ongoing Israel-Lebanon talks, Mencer said: “We are making extremely clear that our responsibility is to our northern citizens and to the whole of Israel, and we will not allow any terrorist force anywhere near our border – which means that any redeployment of forces comes after, not before, but after the demilitarization of southern Lebanon and the disarming of Hezbollah.”

Israel says it will keep occupying zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza

Israeli defense minister Israel Katz says Israel will continue occupying areas of Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, rejecting pressure to withdraw from territory its military has seized.

Katz said Israel opposed leaving what it calls a “security zone” in Lebanon and added that Israeli forces would remain in similar zones in Syria and Gaza for as long as it deemed necessary.

France and Italy seeking post-UNIFIL force for Lebanon

France and Italy want to create a multinational coalition to replace the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, even as Israel continues to occupy Lebanese territory and carry out attacks across the country.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the proposal after talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying Paris and Rome wanted a new security arrangement after UNIFIL leaves.

“We want to launch a coalition for the post-UNIFIL arrangement, obviously in coordination with the European Union and the United Nations, to strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty and that of its armed forces,” Macron said.

The proposal comes as Lebanon faces growing pressure over its security arrangements while Israel refuses to withdraw from areas it has seized.

Israeli attacks kill three in southern Lebanon despite ongoing Washington talks

An Israeli strike has killed at least three people on the outskirts of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military continues to target people moving through areas it occupies in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese health authorities say more than 4,000 people have been killed since the war began in March.

Lebanon-Israel talks ‘not going very well’ amid ceasefire and withdrawal dispute

Tracy Chamoun, a former Lebanese diplomat and former Lebanese ambassador to Jordan, says the Lebanon-Israel talks are “not going very well” as ceasefire and withdrawal terms remain vague and unresolved.

Hezbollah says Israel continues to target civilians in southern Lebanon

The Lebanese group says that Israel targeted civilians on Zouat al-Sharqiyah – Mifdoun road earlier today, resulting in the killing of two people who were on their way to inspect their homes following the ceasefire announcement.

A third person was wounded, Hezbollah said.

“The Israeli enemy army has once again deliberately targeted Lebanese citizens who were on their way to inspect their homes on the Zouat al-Sharqiyah – Mifdoun road, under the pretext that they posed a threat to its occupying forces,” Hezbollah said in a statement released on Telegram.

Israel will remain in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza for ‘as long as required’

Netanyahu said that Israeli forces will maintain a presence in southern Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza for “as long as required”, at a graduation for combat officers in southern Israel.

An example of "as long as required"

Gaza was seized from Egypt during the 1967 six-day war.

From 1967 to 2005, the enclave was colonized, and from

Israel targets southern Lebanese towns despite ceasefire

The Israeli army targeted the outskirts of the towns of Barashit and Beit Yahoun with about 10 artillery strikes, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports.

Israeli troops also combed the area with machinegun fire, according to the news agency.

Rubio says Lebanon, Israel are close to a ‘commitment of intent’ after months of talks

The final session of that fifth round of peace talks between Lebanon and Israel has been under way in Washington.

The US Secretary of State says the two sides are close to reaching what he called a “commitment of intent”. Negotiations are taking place as Israel continues its attacks on southern Lebanon.

UN says ceasefire ‘largely holding’ in southern Lebanon; Israeli military still active

The UN has said a ceasefire in southern Lebanon has “continued to largely hold”, but peacekeepers are still observing Israeli military “airspace violations”, as well as ground and water operations.

UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) “peacekeepers have not detected any trajectories or air strikes since the two trajectories that were observed on Tuesday,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York today.

However, he said, peacekeepers observed three Israeli tanks “firing several heavy machinegun bursts and launching six 40mm grenades in the northeast direction”, near Biyyada on Wednesday.

Peacekeepers also observed Israeli military “airspace violations, mostly by drones”, Israeli military “patrol boats in Lebanese territorial waters” near UNIFIL’s headquarters, and Israeli ground operations, including “armoured movements, engineering works, and logistical movements”, Dujarric said.

Israel unlikely to agree to full withdrawal from Lebanon

Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute think tank in the US, says the Trump administration would need to exert “a lot of pressure” on Israel if it wants the country to withdraw from Lebanon.

That is something Trump “has never done” over the course of his time in the White House, Bandow noted.

“If he’s not willing to apply that kind of pressure, I doubt Israel will [withdraw],” he said, adding that the prospect of a withdrawal from Lebanon is “complicated” by the fact that Netanyahu is heading into elections later this year.

“My hope is that they reduce hostilities and reduce the fighting. I don’t think that Israel is going to withdraw all the way, however.”