The United States has announced a new mechanism to monitor the ceasefire in Lebanon , as Israeli forces killed two civilians in south Lebanon on Tuesday and wounded others, hours before Lebanese and Israeli officials were due to hold a fifth round of talks in Washington aimed at preventing a renewed escalation along the border.
The latest killings highlight Israel's continued violations of the ceasefire, despite a two-day lull that marked the longest pause in hostilities since the conflict intensified in March.
Israeli forces opened fire on civilians in the al-Deir neighbourhood of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, killing two people and wounding others, according to Lebanese civil defence.
The victims were working to clear roads and recover the bodies of those killed in previous Israeli attacks.
Israeli forces inside occupied Lebanese territory also fired towards residents heading to a cemetery in the village of Haddatha to carry out a burial, accompanied by the Lebanese army. Hezbollah condemned the shooting , describing it as a blatant violation of the ceasefire and saying the victims were civilians engaged in recovery efforts. The two deaths were the first fatalities caused by Israeli fire in Lebanon in three days. US launches new Lebanon monitoring mechanism involving Iran, excluding Israel The incidents came as Washington unveiled a new ceasefire monitoring mechanism that reflects Lebanon's growing importance within broader US-Iran understandings reached during talks in Switzerland.
A US official said the mechanism had been launched by US Central Command (CENTCOM) and was designed to monitor developments on the ground and help bring an end to violence.
The initiative follows diplomatic contacts by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and forms part of efforts to create conditions for a wider agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
The new framework is linked to understandings reached during the recent US-Iran talks, which resulted in agreement on the creation of a "deconfliction cell" intended to prevent escalation in Lebanon.
According to reports, the mechanism involves the United States, Iran, Lebanon and mediating states, while excluding Israel from direct participation.
Israeli officials have reportedly reacted with fury to the announcement, fearing that it could restrict Israel's ability to carry out military operations in Lebanon and effectively acknowledge an Iranian role in discussions concerning Lebanese security.
According to Israeli media reports, Washington has informed Israel that the previous understanding allowing it to operate with broad freedom inside Lebanon has come to an end.
Israeli officials were reportedly told that future military action would be limited to direct threats rather than the wider campaign of strikes that had repeatedly targeted areas across Lebanon. Fifth round of Lebanon-Israel talks begins in Washington The diplomatic developments coincide with the fifth round of Lebanon-Israel talks taking place in Washington on Tuesday.
Lebanese officials are expected to push for a complete and permanent ceasefire, a clear timetable for Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas in south Lebanon, and guarantees for the return of displaced residents.
Beirut also wants the Lebanese army to deploy in evacuated areas and reconstruction efforts to begin, while insisting that coordination remains exclusively through the United States rather than through any direct dealings with Israel.
Lebanese negotiators are willing to discuss proposed "pilot zones" in the south provided Israeli forces begin withdrawing from areas they continue to occupy and residents are allowed to return safely to their homes, sources told The New Arab. The talks are taking place amid mounting Israeli opposition to the emerging diplomatic framework.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir reiterated on Monday that Israel intends to maintain what it calls a "security zone" in southern Lebanon, reiterating a refusal to withdraw.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that Israel would not withdraw until Hezbollah had been completely dismantled, insisting that the group should be excluded from Lebanon's political life altogether.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has urged Arab states to support Lebanon's efforts to keep its negotiating track independent from wider US-Iran discussions, warning that Lebanon's future should not be decided at regional negotiating tables without Lebanese participation.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf argued that the Switzerland talks had already contributed to reducing hostilities in Lebanon and said the understandings included commitments related to Lebanese sovereignty, the return of displaced people and the eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 4,100 people, including hundreds of women, children and healthcare workers, since widening on 2 March.
Its attacks and occupation have displaced around 1.2 million people and caused widespread destruction across large parts of the country.
Hezbollah attacks, meanwhile, have killed at least 32 Israeli soldiers - mostly inside occupied Lebanese territories, and injured dozens more.