Israel launched airstrikes on southern Lebanon just two days after a US-brokered ceasefire agreement was signed on Friday.
Lebanon's official news agency NNA reported a series of strikes in the south on Sunday. The Lebanese Health Ministry had announced on Saturday that one person was killed in an Israeli attack, the first casualty recorded since the agreement was signed.
The Israeli army announced it targeted Hezbollah members near the buffer zone in southern Lebanon. It also said one Israeli soldier was killed and another lightly wounded in the clashes. The fallen soldier was identified as 21-year-old Captain David Hazutt, a platoon commander in the elite infantry unit Golani Brigade.
Israel's Chief of Staff approved the continuation of operations in the region, saying they were consistent with the ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the agreement as "historic" and a "major blow to Iran and Hezbollah."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had cautiously described the agreement signed in Washington on Friday as "the beginning of the beginning." Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the deal "aims for Israel's withdrawal from all Lebanese territory."
However, the text of the agreement does not foresee an unconditional Israeli withdrawal; it conditions any withdrawal on Hezbollah's disarmament. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that Israeli forces are preparing for a long-term stay in the buffer zone and will remain there until Hezbollah lays down its arms.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the agreement on Saturday, calling it "humiliating" and a "surrender of sovereignty," and stated that his fighters will not leave the battlefield. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said any step by the Lebanese army to implement the agreement would drag the country into internal conflict.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also argued that the agreement gives Hezbollah a "lifeline," rejecting the idea that the Lebanese army could disarm the group. He said he had opposed the deal in the cabinet for weeks and would continue his opposition.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Washington should force Israel to stop its attacks and withdraw from occupied areas in Lebanon. Araghchi referred to a separate memorandum that he claimed is binding for both Israel and the US.
The war began on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground operation. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, more than 4,000 people have died in Lebanon since then.
