The Japan Times - Israel strikes southern Lebanon as far-right ministers call for escalation

The airstrikes come as the United States and Iran seek to finalise the terms of an agreement to end the Middle East conflict, which could include the Lebanon front, where Israel and Hezbollah have waged war since March 2.

Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on April 17, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire on a near-daily basis.

Dozens of Israeli strikes targeted several towns and villages in southern Lebanon in the early hours of Monday, killing three people in two cars and on a motorcycle, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Israeli airstrikes later targeted several towns near the ancient city of Tyre on Monday, according to NNA.

Those strikes came after Israel issued evacuation orders for 10 villages, accusing Hezbollah of breaching the truce.

"In light of Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces are compelled to operate against it with force," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee said in a social media post, listing the names of the villages.

Hezbollah, a Lebanese Iran-backed movement, has regularly launched drone attacks against Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory and across the border, including several on Monday.

Later on Monday, Adraee issued another evacuation warning directed at residents of a building in Rashidieh and two buildings in Burj al-Shamali, near the city of Tyre.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes since early March have killed more than 3,100 people.

The Israeli military also announced on Monday that a soldier had been killed the previous day in southern Lebanon.

That brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the outbreak of hostilities with Hezbollah to 23. One civilian contractor has also been killed.

- 'Buildings must fall' -

Two far-right ministers called for an expansion of Israel's military campaign in Lebanon.

"There is an urgent need to put an end to the threat posed by Hezbollah's explosive drones," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in an occupied West Bank settlement, said on Telegram.

"For every explosive drone strike, 10 buildings must fall in Beirut."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, another figurehead of the Israeli far-right, called for a "return to intensive warfare" and for "taking control" of the Zahrani River, located further north than the Litani River.

The Israeli army, which controls a strip of land approximately 10 kilometres deep in Lebanese territory, has designated the Litani River as the boundary of the area to be cleared of Hezbollah fighters.

On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended his decision to hold talks with Israel, adding that his demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon was "non-negotiable".

Lebanon and Israel, which do not have diplomatic relations, are holding another round of negotiations in Washington on June 2 and 3, preceded by a meeting of military officials from both countries at the Pentagon on May 29.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem reiterated his opposition to direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on Sunday evening and repeated his refusal to allow his movement to disarm.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned his remarks, accusing him of calling for the "overthrow" of the Lebanese government and of wanting to "plunge Lebanon back into chaos".

In response to Rubio, Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar called on the US administration on Monday to stop "interfering in Lebanese affairs and destabilising the country".

M.Saito--JT