💢 REPORT | Israel Violating Ceasefire on Day One, Killing 3 Civilians and Pushing Into Villages in Lebanon
In the first 24 hours after the U.S.-Iran deal was formally announced, Israel has repeatedly violated the U.S.-backed Lebanon ceasefire, killing civilians, shelling towns, and attempting ground incursions across south Lebanon despite the agreement’s stated clause of halting fighting “on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
🔸 The dead:
➤ Ismail Allam was killed in Yater (Bint Jbeil) in an explosion whose cause, whether an Israeli strike, unexploded ordnance, or another suspicious object, remains under investigation. L’Orient Today described him as the first person killed in Lebanon since the deal took effect overnight.
➤ An Israeli drone later struck a car at the Kfar Tibnit roundabout, killing a person whose body was reportedly left unrecognizable, according to L’Orient Today.
➤ Earlier, an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on civilians walking toward Mansouri (Sour), killing one person and wounding several others.
🔸 A journalist targeted:
➤ Press TV correspondent Hadi Hoteit was wounded in Kfar Tibnit after an Israeli drone dropped a grenade that exploded less than a meter from him while he was reporting. Speaking from the hospital, Hoteit said Israel had deliberately targeted him. Video appears to show deliberate targeting as well.
➤ Lebanon’s photojournalists’ syndicate later urged journalists not to rush back into frontline areas, warning that “nothing is guaranteed.”
🔸 Ground incursions and clashes:
➤ Hezbollah said it “repelled” an Israeli force, including an excavator and two Merkava tanks, advancing from Arnoun toward Kfar Tibnit at around 6:15 p.m., using guided missiles and Ababil attack drones.
➤ Drop Site sources in the south reported Israeli forces attempting to push into Bra’shit, with tanks audible and a massive explosion reported in the village. Israeli troops were also said to be positioned near homes on the outskirts toward Beit Yahoun and Kounine.
➤ Israeli soldiers advanced and carried out sweeping fire toward Bouyout al-Sayyed near a UNIFIL position in the Sour district
🔸 Shelling, drones, and blocked roads:
➤ Israeli artillery struck the Ali al-Taher hills and a road near Zawtar al-Sharqieh, while the army detonated a large explosive device in Aita al-Jabal and, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency and Drop Site sources, detonated car bombs on the Haris-Tibnin road.
➤ Quadcopter drones were reported “dropping bombs,” while roads around Haris, Kafra, Haddatha, and Tebnine were described as too dangerous to travel. The Lebanese Army closed multiple roads and warned displaced residents not to return to border villages.
🔸 The toll and the backdrop:
➤ Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks over the previous 24 hours killed 15 people and wounded 82, bringing the toll since March 2 to 3,798 killed and 11,781 wounded.
➤ Israeli leaders also made clear they do not consider themselves bound by the agreement. Netanyahu said the army would remain in Lebanon “as long as necessary” and, according to Israeli media, told Trump that Israel “does not consider itself bound by the Lebanon clause.” Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich likewise vowed to continue military operations, with Smotrich calling for the campaign in Lebanon to be intensified.