A strike carried out by an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle in southern Lebanon killed at least three people and wounded another, state media reported on Thursday evening, despite the ceasefire between the Israeli military and the Shiite Hezbollah movement, which is aligned with Iran.

This raid brought the death toll from Israeli attacks since Tuesday to at least seven, amid a new round of direct negotiations between the governments of Lebanon and Israel, under the auspices of the United States, which are taking place for the first time in decades.

Hezbollah spoke of a “direct attack” against “civilians” and denounced that “for the third time” Israel had committed a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire, to which, it emphasized, the movement remains “committed to this day.”

The Israeli army, which occupies part of southern Lebanon, reported that it targeted members of the Shiite movement aligned with Tehran.

In a statement released via Telegram, it said that its soldiers “identified five Hezbollah terrorists” who “posed a threat” against them, which was “eliminated” by air and ground forces.

Hostilities on the Lebanese front resumed in early March, following Hezbollah’s rocket fire against Israel in support of Iran, which was facing the U.S.-Israeli offensive that began on February 28.

The Israeli army responded by launching a large-scale aerial bombing campaign in Lebanon and invading the south. It now occupies what it calls a “security zone,” extending ten kilometers from the border, with the aim—in theory, at least—of protecting the residents of northern Israel.

“We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat and is not disarmed,” David Menser, a spokesman for Netanyahu’s government, reiterated yesterday, Thursday, David Menser, a spokesman for Netanyahu’s government, told the press.

Meanwhile, the fifth round of talks between the governments of Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the United States—which was theoretically scheduled to conclude yesterday, Thursday— will ultimately continue today in Washington, the State Department announced.

“The talks between Israel and Lebanon are still ongoing,” and “we continue to facilitate them.” The two sides will resume their work tomorrow (i.e., today) at 9:00 a.m. (Washington time) with a view to reaching an agreement,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Agence France-Presse yesterday, Thursday.

The “memorandum of understanding,” the U.S.-Iran agreement in principle, signed on June 17, explicitly provided for an end to hostilities, including on the Lebanese front, a condition imposed by Tehran.

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Source: KYPE