Hezbollah destroys Israeli tanks near Beaufort Castle amid ceasefire dispute
Shafaq News- Beirut
Hezbollah announced Thursday the destruction of three Israeli Merkava tanks near Beaufort Castle (Qala'at al-Shqif) in southern Lebanon, as Israeli media reported casualties from what it described as a "difficult" attack on a military force in the border area.
In separate statements, the group said it destroyed a first Merkava with a guided missile before striking two additional tanks in the same area. The Israeli army confirmed it had targeted militants in the Beaufort area and said operations against Hezbollah positions and infrastructure in southern Lebanon were continuing.
The ground fighting coincided with a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to northern border settlements, where they met with local authority heads and toured frontline areas.
Shortly after Netanyahu left the area, air raid sirens sounded three times in the town of Shlomi in the western Galilee, according to Israeli media. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching a drone toward the Arab al-Aramshe area; the Israeli army said the incident ended without casualties.
Israeli airstrikes also continued across southern Lebanon throughout the day, targeting towns in the Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, Tyre, and Saida areas. Lebanese reports said three members of one family were wounded in a strike on the outskirts of Nmeyrieh.
Lebanon's Ministry of Health said the death toll since Israel resumed military operations on March 2 has risen to 3,526 killed and 10,733 wounded.
The Israeli army reported that 63 officers and soldiers had been wounded in combat in southern Lebanon over the previous four days. Since fighting resumed in early March, the army said, 27 service members have been killed and 1,243 injured, including 72 in serious condition and 139 with moderate wounds.
Ceasefire divisions
Sharper divisions emerged over the ceasefire agreement announced in Washington following the fourth round of direct Lebanon-Israel talks held June 2 and 3 under US sponsorship.
Katz said the agreement provides for a demilitarized zone south of the Litani River, with Hezbollah fighters withdrawing and the Lebanese army deploying in areas under its exclusive control. Israeli forces, he added, would remain inside what Israel calls its "security zone" extending to the Yellow Line, including the Beaufort Castle area, and Israel would retain the right to carry out strikes inside Lebanon —including Beirut— with US backing if it judged its security to be threatened.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected the agreement in its current form, saying the group would not accept any arrangement that permits continued Israeli military presence on Lebanese soil or separates southern Lebanon from the rest of the country. Any agreement, he said, must begin with a full Israeli withdrawal, followed by Lebanese army deployment south of the Litani, the return of displaced persons, the release of prisoners, and the start of reconstruction.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said implementation could begin within 24 hours of receiving final approvals and necessary guarantees. He described the preceding negotiations as "very difficult," noting that Lebanese delegation head Simon Karam had suspended the talks before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervened to resume them.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that peace in the region would not be achievable without a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory and that any ceasefire must cover all fronts.
