Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in Southern Lebanon Combat, First Deaths Since June Ceasefire

The Israeli military confirmed Thursday that two soldiers were killed during combat operations in southern Lebanon, representing the first Israeli fatalities since a ceasefire agreement with the Iran-backed militant organization Hezbollah began in June. The military also reported that four additional soldiers sustained injuries in the incident, which Israeli news outlets had disclosed the previous day.

In response to what Israeli officials characterized as a Hezbollah breach of the truce terms, the Israeli military conducted strikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday and ordered civilians in the village of Mansouri to evacuate—marking Israel’s first such evacuation directive in Lebanon in several weeks. Hezbollah has not yet issued a public response to the developments.

The incident occurred as Lebanese and Israeli negotiators convened in Rome to address implementation of the June 26 ceasefire agreement, which stipulates that Israeli forces must withdraw from occupied territories in southern Lebanon while Hezbollah agrees to disarmament and the Lebanese military assumes control of the region. Since the truce commenced on June 20, Israeli forces have maintained a presence in southern Lebanon and continued periodic airstrikes and artillery bombardments.

The broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2 when Hezbollah launched rocket fire across the border, occurring two days after U.S. and Israeli military operations targeted Iran.