Israels military strikes kill two people in Lebanon amid tensions with Hezbollah

Here is a rewritten version of the article in a neutral newsroom style:

Israeli Troops Open Fire in Southern Lebanon, Killing Two People

Two people were killed and two others wounded when Israeli soldiers opened fire on a town near Nabatieh, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Tuesday. The incident occurred while two men were standing near an excavator that was unblocking a road.

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah condemned the attack as a “blatant” violation of the truce. A statement from the group did not specify whether it would respond to the incident.

The Israeli military stated that its forces struck “armed terrorists who posed an immediate threat” to soldiers in the Ali al-Taher ridge area of southern Lebanon, within an area declared as a “security zone”. The area is part of a region where Israeli forces have established a buffer zone covering approximately 6% of Lebanese territory.

Earlier, Mahmoud Qamati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, warned that the group would respond to any violation of the ceasefire by Israel. He stated that Hezbollah’s retaliation would be in kind and emphasized that there would not be a return to pre-war conditions.

The incident marks the first reported deaths from Israeli fire in Lebanon in three days, threatening the fragile truce that has largely held since Sunday. The United States-brokered “ceasefire” has been in place since Sunday, but tensions remain high.

A joint statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz, and Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir stated that the military would continue to act with determination to neutralize threats against soldiers and citizens. The statement also reaffirmed the military’s commitment to demolishing infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah and maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon.

A new round of US-mediated negotiations between Israel and Lebanon is set to begin today in Washington, with talks expected to last until Thursday.

Source: Al Jazeera