Lebanon says Israeli strike kills one as Beirut rules out normalisation

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun says his state seeks bid with Israel, but is not acceptable to normalise ties.

Lebanon’s president says his state wants bid but not normalisation with Israel, arsenic wellness authorities said an Israeli aerial onslaught killed 1 idiosyncratic successful the southbound of the country.

As good arsenic causing 1 decease connected Friday, the drone onslaught connected a car successful Nabatieh territory wounded 5 different people, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.

It comes arsenic Israel continues to motorboat regular strikes against sites successful Lebanon, peculiarly successful the south, contempt a November 27 ceasefire statement betwixt it and the Lebanese equipped radical Hezbollah.

Under the presumption of the truce, Hezbollah had to retreat to the northbound of the Litani River, which is astir 30km (20 miles) from the Israeli border, portion Israel had to afloat retreat its troops, leaving lone the Lebanese service and United Nations peacekeepers successful the area.

However, Israel inactive occupies 5 strategical locations successful confederate Lebanon.

Speaking connected Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed a tendency for peaceful relations with his country’s neighbour. But helium stressed that Beirut was not presently funny successful normalising ties with Israel, thing mentioned arsenic a anticipation by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar past week.

“Peace is the deficiency of a authorities of war, and this is what matters to america successful Lebanon astatine the moment. As for the contented of normalisation, it is not presently portion of Lebanese overseas policy,” said Aoun, who urged Israel to retreat wholly from Lebanon.

Smoke billows from the Nabatieh district, pursuing Israeli strikes, arsenic seen from Marjayoun, successful confederate Lebanon, connected June 27, 2025 [File: Karamallah Daher/Reuters]

In a notation to the US’s ongoing telephone for Lebanon to afloat disarm Hezbollah, the Lebanese president besides expressed Beirut’s tendency to “hold the monopoly implicit weapons successful the country”, but helium did not springiness further details.

Hezbollah, which is considerably weakened aft much than a twelvemonth of hostilities with Israel, has dismissed questions astir disarmament.

“We cannot beryllium asked to soften our stance oregon laic down arms portion [Israeli] aggression continues,” its person Naim Qassem told crowds successful confederate Beirut connected Sunday.

On Wednesday, the Israeli subject confirmed that immoderate of its troops had entered confederate Lebanon, with the service saying they sought to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and to halt the radical from “reestablishing itself successful the area”.

The pursuing day, a antheral was killed by an Israeli drone onslaught connected a motorbike successful the colony of al-Mansouri adjacent Tyre, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said. Two others were injured successful the attack, it added.