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The Lebanese army has withdrawn its troops from a base in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops advance in the area. The move comes amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with both sides reporting casualties and damage to infrastructure.
The Lebanese army on Saturday withdrew its troops from a base in a southern Lebanese village after Israeli troops advanced in an area nearby, a military official said.
The departure from the army barracks in Kfar Tebnit came as the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for about 20 locations, including the southern city of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported air strikes on Saturday on different villages near Nabatiyeh, including one that killed two people in Deir al-Zahrani. It added that Nabatiyeh was subjected to artillery shelling on Saturday.
A senior Lebanese military official told the Associated Press that the Lebanese army moved its forces from the Kfar Tebnit barracks following an incursion by Israeli forces into the area. The official, who did not elaborate, spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Israeli troops were likely trying to capture the strategic Ali Taher Hill on the edge of Kfar Tebnit that overlooks large parts of Nabatiyeh and some of the roads that link the city with nearby villages. Israeli troops held the Ali Taher Hill for 18 years until they withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000.
The push on the edge of Kfar Tebnit came a day after Pakistan's prime minister said that the United States and Iran have agreed to the wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators are working with both sides to finalize a deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state TV on Friday that both sides were working toward signing an initial agreement declaring an end to the war 'on all fronts, including Lebanon.
' Senior Hezbollah official Hussein Hajj Hassan told Al Jazeera TV that they have been informed by Iranian officials that Lebanon will be part of a future ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran. Iran is Hezbollah's main backer, supplying the group with different types of weapons over the past four decades, as well as billions of dollars.
Attacks by Israel and Hezbollah have continued despite a ceasefire that went into effect on April 17 and was meant to last for a month. Israel continues to occupy large swaths of southern Lebanon while battling Hezbollah fighters, causing civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. Hezbollah, which is not part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, has launched frequent rocket and drone attacks.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel began their attacks on Iran. More than 3,700 people have been killed in Lebanon in the latest fighting, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Also, 30 Israeli soldiers and a defence contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office
Lebanese Army Israeli Troops Southern Lebanon Hezbollah Middle East Conflict
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