Israeli strike on Lebanon kills two, state media says

Two young men riding a motorcycle were killed in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, as Israel intensified strikes despite a truce with Hezbollah.

The strike hit near the Ali al-Taher ridge outside Nabatieh. The Israeli army said it had captured the strategic position, which overlooks a wide area and has become one of the most contested sites in the conflict. Hezbollah did not confirm that it had lost the ridge.

Israel’s military said it had cleared Hezbollah fighters from tunnels beneath the ridge. Defence Minister Israel Katz said the army would work to "prevent the enemy from re-establishing itself in the area". The group did not immediately respond, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the ridge’s status.

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prevent the enemy from re-establishing itself in the area

The Lebanese agency also reported that an Israeli strike hit a house in Rmadiyeh, in the Tyre area more than 10 kilometres from the Israeli border. The village is sheltering people displaced from other parts of southern Lebanon. Four people were injured, a rescue service source told AFP.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire since March, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Iran. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says killed more than 4,300 people. Fighting eased after a US-Iran memorandum and an Israel-Lebanon framework agreement in June, but Beirut continues to report Israeli strikes. UN humanitarian coordinator Imran Riza said families returning to Nabatieh faced "widespread destruction, lack of basic services, ongoing insecurity and uncertainty".

Israel has expanded its military presence across parts of southern Lebanon. On Friday, Israeli authorities transferred four detainees to Lebanese officials through the International Committee of the Red Cross. One Lebanese man had been released the previous day, in what was described as a confidence-building measure.

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widespread destruction, lack of basic services, ongoing insecurity and uncertainty