The Israeli military launched fresh airstrikes and artillery attacks on several towns in southern Lebanon on Sunday, in the latest reported violations of a United States-sponsored framework agreement signed in June.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), Israeli warplanes bombed Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatieh district, while further airstrikes targeted the town of Mansouri in the Tyre district.
The agency also reported that Israeli artillery shelling struck Majdal Zoun, another town in the Tyre district.
Overnight, areas between the towns of Mayfadoun and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah came under heavy and concentrated Israeli artillery bombardment, according to the report.
The latest attacks occurred amid Israel’s continuing military offensive against Lebanon, which began on March 2.
Figures released by Lebanon’s Health Ministry put the death toll from the offensive at 4,386, with another 12,413 people reported injured.
The renewed bombardment has raised further concerns over the durability of diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing hostilities and securing an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
US-Brokered Framework Under Strain
On June 26, representatives of Beirut and Tel Aviv signed a United States-brokered framework arrangement in Washington aimed at addressing the conflict and establishing conditions for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Under the agreement, the Lebanese army is expected to deploy in areas vacated by Israeli forces as part of the proposed withdrawal process.
However, Israeli military operations have continued despite the arrangement, while Israeli forces maintain control over parts of Lebanon.
These areas include territory that Israel has occupied for decades, as well as locations seized during more recent wars and military operations.
The latest strikes underscore the continuing challenges facing diplomatic efforts to implement the framework and reduce violence along the Israeli-Lebanese front.
With airstrikes and artillery shelling continuing in southern Lebanon, the situation remains tense, while questions persist over the implementation of the agreement and the prospects for a sustained reduction in hostilities.
