Beirut — At least three people were killed Monday in Israeli drone attacks on vehicles in southern Lebanon, according to the country’s National News Agency, as the Israeli military issued forced displacement orders covering ten additional villages — the latest eruption of violence despite a US-mediated ceasefire that took effect in April.
Israeli drones struck three vehicles on the Kafr Rumman-Jarmaq highway and the Jarmaq-Khardali road in the Nabatieh district, killing three and wounding others, the NNA reported. Later the same day, Colonel Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, ordered residents of ten villages — Nabatieh al-Tahta, al-Louizeh, Sajd, Ain Qana, Harouf, Zibdin, Kfar Reman, Doueir, Adshit al-Saqif, and Maydun — to evacuate their homes immediately, moving at least 1,000 metres to open areas.
“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately,” Adraee posted on social media, citing Hezbollah’s alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement. The Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed and another wounded in southern Lebanon, with Israeli media reporting a Hezbollah drone attack caused the casualties. A total of 23 Israeli soldiers have now died since hostilities resumed on March 2, along with one civilian contractor.
The strikes came as Israeli drones hovered over central Beirut for the second consecutive day, flying at low altitude over the capital and its southern suburbs. In the southern city of Tyre, an Israeli attack destroyed two homes in the Arzoun municipality, with rescue teams on site to evacuate the injured.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has insisted an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon — halted by Tel Aviv in violation of the ceasefire terms — is “non-negotiable,” as diplomatic efforts by Washington and Arab mediators struggle to hold the agreement together. More than 3,000 people have been killed since fighting resumed in early March.
The latest violence underscores the fragility of the April 17 ceasefire, which was extended into early July but has failed to halt Israeli operations. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have all pressed for compliance, but Israel has continued air strikes and ground operations, saying it will not withdraw until Hezbollah is fully disarmed.
The Strait of Hormuz meanwhile remains a parallel diplomatic flashpoint: talks between Iran, Oman and Washington continued Monday on establishing a mechanism to reopen the strategic waterway, which Iran has pledged to keep open to international shipping once a ceasefire deal is finalised. Trump said Saturday a US-Iran memorandum of understanding had been “largely negotiated,” though Iranian officials cautioned that major differences remain, and denied any deal is imminent.