Israeli troops kill two in south Lebanon after lull in fighting, authorities say

The ceasefire has largely held since Sunday, marking the longest lull in weeks of escalating hostilities that spilled over from the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday night that Israeli troops had full freedom of action against any Hezbollah threat and would remain in Lebanon “as long as is necessary”.

Tuesday’s deaths came as Lebanese and Israeli officials opened talks in Washington aimed at advancing what the US state department described as “a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two countries”.

Iran has insisted that Lebanon be covered by the agreement signed with the US last week, warning that violations of the ceasefire could undermine wider diplomatic efforts.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, warned on Tuesday that violations of the ceasefire framework risked derailing broader diplomatic progress.

“Lebanon is an unquestionable part of the agreement, and whatever happens in Lebanon affects the whole process, and it is the United States which should use all its leverage against Israel to make it stop attacks against Lebanon.”

Lebanon was drawn into the war between Israel, the US and Iran on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader.

Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and invading a significant part of the country’s south.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed at least 4,192 people since the current round of hostilities began, according to the Lebanese health ministry. More than 1.2 million people have also been displaced, Lebanese authorities say.

Israeli authorities say 36 Israeli soldiers and four civilians have been killed on both sides of the border during the conflict.