Hezbollah accuses Israel of violating ceasefire in southern Lebanon strike

Hezbollah has accused Israel of breaching a ceasefire agreement after an Israeli strike hit the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa on June 23.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, the group said Israeli forces opened fire at around 11:30 in the Ed-Deir area, using machine guns against a group of civilians who were clearing roads and retrieving bodies from under rubble.

“The enemy army opened fire at 11:30 in the Ed-Deir area using machine guns on a group of civilians who were clearing roads and recovering bodies from under the rubble,” the statement said. It added that two people were killed, including a municipal worker, and several others were injured.

Hezbollah said the incident amounted to a violation of the ceasefire declared on June 19, warning that “the enemy’s actions constitute a blatant breach of the truce observed by our fighters”.

A civil defence official earlier said two civilians were killed and one injured in an Israeli strike in Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

The official said Israeli forces targeted an excavator used to clear roads into neighbourhoods damaged in previous bombardments.