Two martyrs fell and others were injured today, Tuesday, as Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a group of civilians in southern Lebanon. Official sources reported that the occupation army targeted citizens in the Deir neighborhood of Nabatieh al-Fawqa while they were attempting to open closed roads and retrieve the bodies of martyrs from under the rubble.
For its part, Hezbollah issued a statement condemning the incident, considering the enemy army's act of firing machine guns from among homes at civilians a blatant violation of existing understandings. The party affirmed that the resistance has adhered to the ceasefire until now, warning of the repercussions of these repeated aggressions on the stability of the front.
In a separate incident, a number of residents of the town of Hadatha in southern Lebanon were subjected to gunfire by occupation forces while on their way to bury their dead in the town's cemetery. This aggression occurred despite coordination and escort from the Lebanese army for the funeral procession, reflecting the continued field tension despite the relative calm.
These bloody field developments come at a time when the fifth round of talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv has begun in the American capital, Washington. These discussions, taking place at the US State Department headquarters, aim to solidify the pillars of stability and reach final understandings that would end the ongoing conflict.
On the international level, the United States and Iran concluded a first round of negotiations in Switzerland, which resulted in a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war in the region. The two parties agreed to establish an international mechanism called the 'Dispute Resolution Cell' in Lebanon, to ensure the prevention of any new military escalation that could threaten the major understandings.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, described the establishment of this cell as the first real test of the seriousness of the parties in adhering to the memorandum of understanding. Araghchi indicated that Tehran closely links the implementation of the agreement with Washington to a comprehensive and final cessation of the war on Lebanese territories.
Tehran had previously taken escalatory steps, including closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli strikes, before the intensity of the raids decreased since last Saturday evening. These threats led to a relative calm in the Lebanese atmosphere, prompting the occupation authorities to lift restrictions on the northern border areas.
Despite this cautious calm, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, confirmed the monitoring of extensive ground activities by the occupation army in areas south of the Litani. Dujarric clarified that UNIFIL forces continue to observe intensive Israeli military movements despite the general decline in the pace of direct hostilities.
In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that his forces retain what he described as 'complete freedom' to act against any threat in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu affirmed that the Israeli army will remain deployed in the border areas as long as the military leadership deems it necessary, indicating no immediate withdrawal.
Politically, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from his French counterpart, during which they discussed the latest field developments in the South after the announcement of the ceasefire. The call addressed the subsequent diplomatic steps required to strengthen Lebanese sovereignty and ensure no return to comprehensive confrontations.
It is worth noting that the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding stipulated in its first clause an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts. However, observers believe that the continuous Israeli violations in Nabatieh and Hadatha place these international understandings before difficult challenges that could lead to their collapse at any moment.
What the enemy did is a flagrant violation of the ceasefire that the resistance has adhered to until now.
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Two Martyrs by Occupation Bullets in Nabatieh, Hezbollah Condemns 'Flagrant' Ceasefire Violation