Published on 6/23/2026
The Civil Defense in southern Lebanon announced that the number of victims of Israeli gunfire in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa had risen to two martyrs and one wounded, in a new violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The National News Agency reported that “two young men were martyred as a result of the occupation forces shooting four young men who were near a bulldozer working to open a road in the Al-Deir neighborhood in the town of Nabatieh Al-Fawqa.”
The agency also indicated that the Israeli army opened fire on a number of residents on the outskirts of the town of Hadada, as they were heading to complete a burial ceremony in the town’s cemetery, accompanying the Lebanese army, pointing out that three Merkava tanks and a D-9 bulldozer were stationed near the cemetery.
It also reported that an Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb on the outskirts of the town of Aita al-Jabal, and another drone dropped a similar bomb on the eastern neighborhood of the town of Baraashit in the Tire district, according to the same source.
On the other hand, the Israeli army announced that it targeted gunmen who were spotted near its forces operating in the Ali Al-Taher area in southern Lebanon. Israeli Channel 14 quoted a military source as saying that the army carried out an attack in the Kafr Tibnit area with the aim of removing what it described as a threat.
Hezbollah denounces
Hezbollah condemned this escalation, and confirmed that Israeli forces opened fire on civilians in southern Lebanon today, Tuesday, in an incident that it said represented a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire.”
He said in the statement, “At 11:30, the Israeli enemy army opened fire with machine guns from between the houses towards a group of civilians in the Al-Deir neighborhood in the city of Nabatieh, who were working to open the roads and retrieve the bodies of the martyrs from under the rubble.”
This escalation comes despite the announcement three days ago of a ceasefire approved by Israel, as no air strikes have been recorded on southern Lebanon since last Saturday evening.
Iran had insisted that the temporary agreement it signed with the United States last week include an Israeli ceasefire in Lebanon.
In response to a question about the incident, Iran’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahraini, told reporters that any violation of the memorandum of understanding in Lebanon would pose challenges to the talks.
He added, “Lebanon is undoubtedly part of the agreement, and anything that happens in Lebanon affects the entire process, and the United States is the one that must use all its influence against Israel to force it to stop its attacks on Lebanon.”
Netanyahu: We will not withdraw before eliminating Hezbollah
In a related context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that army forces will continue to maintain what he described as the “security zone” in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu said – in a joint statement with Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir – published on the
On the other hand, Israeli Army Radio quoted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as saying that Israel is not a party to the negotiations between the United States and Iran, adding that it “does not mean Israel,” and that military operations in Lebanon will continue in full.
Smotrich also stressed that “there will be no Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and Beaufort Castle before Hezbollah is eliminated.”
American move
In this context, an American official stated that Central Command (Centcom) launched a new mechanism to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and to follow developments in the field situation.
On Monday evening, the official said – in a statement to Anadolu – that the aim of this step is to put an end to the violence in Lebanon.
He added that the launch of this mechanism came after phone calls made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
He stressed that work is underway to enable Israel and Lebanon – as two sovereign states – to conduct dialogue and reach a path leading to peace and security. The discussions will continue to progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two countries.
The US official indicated that more details regarding the new mechanism will be announced soon.
Since last March 2, Israel has launched an aggression against Lebanon, resulting in 4,175 deaths, 12,164 injuries, and the displacement of more than a million people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Israel has been occupying areas in southern Lebanon, some of them for decades, and took control of other areas during the war that took place in 2023 and 2024. During the last aggression, it also penetrated more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory.
