Southern Lebanon: Israel announces the death of its twentieth soldier and issues warnings to five villages
The Israeli army announced the death of one of its soldiers in southern Lebanon and warned residents of five villages not to remain near elements and facilities of Hezbollah.
In a statement, the army said that Sergeant First Class Negev Dagan, 20 years old, “was killed during the fighting in southern Lebanon.”
This brings the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon since the start of the war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah at the beginning of last March to 20.
In contrast, Israeli attacks on Lebanon during the same period have resulted in around 2,800 deaths, including at least 200 children, according to Lebanese authorities.
Warnings in five villages
On the same day, the Israeli army issued an urgent warning to residents in the following towns and villages: Shabriha, Hamadiyeh (Tyre), Zqoq Al-Mafdi, Maachouk, and Al-Housh.
In a statement on the X platform, the army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said the warnings come “in light of the terrorist Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement,” noting that the army “is compelled to act against it with force and does not intend to harm civilians.”
He added: “For your safety, you must immediately evacuate your homes and move at least 1,000 meters away from the villages and towns into open areas.”
He warned that “anyone present near Hezbollah elements, facilities, and combat means is putting their life at risk.”
These field developments come as Lebanon and Israel began a two-day round of talks in Washington on Thursday aimed at ending the war and determining the future of relations between the two countries, as the fragile ceasefire approaches its end.
This round was preceded by two sessions of talks at the level of the two countries’ ambassadors in Washington. The previous round was held on April 23 at the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire and expressed optimism about reaching a historic agreement.
Since the ceasefire took effect on April 17, Israeli strikes have killed more than 400 people, according to a tally compiled by AFP based on official data.
Israel has pledged to continue launching attacks against the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
