Israeli drone attacks targeted south Lebanon on Saturday, hours after the two countries signed a framework peace agreement.
The first attack was near a Lebanese army post on the outskirts of Nabatieh. The Israeli military claimed it was targeting Hezbollah fighters who posed a threat, although there were no reports of casualties.
The second, on Saturday night, was a double attack that hit the same area.
Despite the Friday night deal, Israeli soldiers also launched an incursion towards the outskirts of Kfar Shouba – one of the few Lebanese border villages that have not been occupied and razed by the Israelis.
Noisy Israeli surveillance drones could also be heard in many parts of the country on Saturday, including in the capital, Beirut.
The signing of the framework agreement followed days of negotiations in Washington that should lead to Israel's withdrawal. Israel continues to occupy vast swathes of south Lebanon and has refused to withdraw while, it says, Hezbollah remains a threat.
Hezbollah has lambasted the agreement, mobilising its supporters to protest in Beirut's southern suburbs. Part of the agreement states that the group, Iran's most powerful proxy, must be disarmed.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Saturday that the agreement effectively legitimised Israeli occupation, describing it as a “serious error” and a “null and void” text. Thousands of the group's members have been killed while fighting Israel in recent years.
Shiite Mufti Ahmad Qabalan, who is close to Hezbollah, described the agreement as “heinous” and one that would not be respected on the ground.
The agreement states that both countries will “affirm the right of each state to exist in peace”. The word normalisation is not used in the agreement, but opponents to the deal see this as a first step.
Lebanon's government hopes the deal will eventually lead the way to the reconstruction of the devastated south, where billions of dollars of damage had already been inflicted by the previous 2024 war before conflict erupted yet again between Israel and Hezbollah.
Nabatieh remains in effect a front-line city, under Lebanese control but severely damaged and close to Israeli positions.
On a tour of the city on Saturday, Finance Minister Yassine Jaber said phone coverage and electricity – which remain extremely patchy – should return next week. He said work was under way for a conference in July where it is hoped $1 billion can be raised for reconstruction.
