Lebanese President Joseph Aoun Condemns Israeli Strikes for Threatening US-Brokered Deal

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Israel of undermining a US-brokered agreement aimed at ending hostilities, following overnight attacks in southern Lebanon that resulted in at least 12 deaths.

Speaking during a meeting with French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, Mr Aoun stated, "Israel's repeated attacks, the killing of innocents, including children and women, the destruction and burning of homes, and the bulldozing of property are condemned, rejected, and unjustified crimes." He added that these actions target the framework agreement and threaten broader efforts to halt escalation in the region.

The recent escalation follows Israel's seizure of the strategic Ali Al Taher ridge and includes the destruction of a hospital building on Sunday. According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, an Israeli strike on a three-storey residential building in Kfar Roummane killed eight people, including two newborn babies. Rescue teams continued searching the rubble on Monday morning following extensive strikes across the district. Additional strikes resulted in the death of a medic in Kfar Roummane and three individuals in a drone strike on a car park in Nabatieh Al Tahta.

Furthermore, Israel destroyed the Ghandour Hospital building in Nabatieh Al Fawqa on Sunday. The Israeli army claimed the targeted structure was a Hezbollah command centre, though this assertion could not be independently verified.

The intensified military actions occur despite a US-brokered framework agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon on June 26, which outlines a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament and Lebanese army control. However, Israeli forces have advanced further into southern Lebanon while implementation talks stall. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz defended the operations, stating that capturing Ali Al Taher completes the security zone in southern Lebanon and neutralizes critical Hezbollah command-and-control tunnels.