The Israeli military said Tuesday it struck armed militants in southern Lebanon after detecting a threat near soldiers in the region.
The Israel Defense Forces said it engaged militants after identifying an active Hezbollah cell close to troops in the Ali al-Taher Ridge, close to the city of Nabatieh, which is part of Israel’s “security zone” in southern Lebanon.
Israeli troops reportedly spotted Hezbollah fighters moving into the security zone, riding motorcycles and a bulldozer.
Hezbollah insisted in a statement carried by Iranian media Tuesday that the attack was a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement it reached with Israel Sunday. The attack also targeted civilians, Hezbollah said.
Reports from Lebanese state media said the strike killed two people, though it’s unclear if the casualties were civilians or Hezbollah fighters.
The attack comes after two days of relative peace between Hezbollah and Israel following the announcement of a renewed ceasefire on Sunday. Israel and the government of Lebanon have operated under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire for weeks.
But Hezbollah is not controlled by the Lebanese government, and Lebanese troops have consistently come under fire from Israeli strikes.
The agreement gave much-needed breathing room to the U.S. as it began the first round of negotiations with Iran under the memorandum of understanding signed last week. The agreement’s first provision says there must be a full ceasefire on all fronts of the war, including in Lebanon, before in-depth negotiations can take place.
Iran threatened to abandon negotiations with the U.S. if Israel does not halt attacks on Hezbollah and remove its forces from Lebanon.
Israel, while agreeing to a ceasefire, has said that its military is prepared to strike Hezbollah at any time if threatened or attacked first. Israeli military officials have also refused to withdraw troops from southern Lebanon, where they occupy about 232 square miles.
The Israeli military has said the occupied territory is intended to act as a buffer zone to protect citizens in northern Israel, who come under infrequent rocket attacks from Hezbollah. Over 1 million people have been displaced as a result of Israel’s destruction of homes and continued military operations in Lebanon, according to UNICEF.
