By Abdul Adil
London, (The Muslim News): A new wave of Israeli strikes killed two civilians in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, Lebanese media reported, marking the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement reached following an interim deal between the United States and Iran.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle near Kfar Rumman, killing two people.
Earlier, the agency reported that Israeli forces fired on a vehicle in the al-Deir neighborhood of Nabatieh al-Fawqa and another near a former army barracks in the same town.
In a separate incident, an Israeli drone dropped two stun grenades on the town of Baraashit in the Bint Jbeil district, the NNA said.
The agency also reported intensive Israeli drone activity over the southern cities of Sidon and Tyre, as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The attacks came a day after two people were killed and a third wounded by Israeli gunfire while carrying out road-opening works in Nabatieh al-Fawqa on Tuesday.
On June 18, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding and launched negotiations in Switzerland on Sunday through Pakistani and Qatari mediation, seeking a broader agreement to end the conflict that began when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Tehran on Feb. 28.
The memorandum includes provisions affirming respect for Lebanon’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–24 war. During its latest offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory.
According to Lebanese official figures, Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon since March 2, 2026, has killed 4,192 people, wounded 12,171 others, and displaced more than one million people.
Iran warns against misinterpretation of US Agreement
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Wednesday urged the United States to avoid “interpretations that are completely contrary to the explicit text” of the recent memorandum of understanding between the two countries.
“Contradictory statements by US officials regarding the agreement to end the imposed war will not help reduce the accumulated mistrust among Iranians; rather, they merely recall previous breaches of commitments,” Baqaei wrote on X.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also defended the country’s missile program, stating:
“If we did not have our defensive missiles, Israel and America would have plowed through Iran the way Gaza was plowed through, showing no mercy to the old or the young. They speak of human rights. It is a great lie.”
Meanwhile, maritime intelligence firm TankerTrackers.com reported that Iran has exported 40 million barrels of crude oil since June 15, with half that volume shipped in a single day.
The company said on X that 20 million barrels of Iranian crude left the country on June 19, marking a sharp acceleration in exports following weeks of disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.
Palestinian killed during Israeli raid in West Bank
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian during a military raid in the town of Al-Yamun, west of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, on Wednesday, according to a medical source.
Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that Israeli forces entered the town with military reinforcements and surrounded a Palestinian home while heavy gunfire was heard in the area.
Israeli news outlet Walla reported that soldiers from the Duvdevan unit shot and killed a Palestinian during what it described as an “operational activity” in Al-Yamun.
There was no immediate comment from Palestinian authorities regarding the identity of the victim or the circumstances surrounding his death.
The West Bank has experienced escalating violence since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, with increased attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians and their property.
According to Palestinian official figures, Israeli military operations and settler attacks in the West Bank since Oct. 8, 2023, have killed 1,173 Palestinians, wounded 12,666, led to approximately 23,000 arrests, and displaced 33,000 people.
Palestinians warn that the ongoing attacks are paving the way for the formal annexation of the West Bank, undermining prospects for an independent Palestinian state under UN resolutions.
Cemetery of Canadian UN Peacekeepers destroyed in Gaza
Israel has destroyed a cemetery in the Gaza Strip containing the remains of 22 Canadian soldiers killed during the first UN peacekeeping mission in 1956, according to media reports published Wednesday.
“It’s like there’s no headstones anymore,” Lia Bons, whose brother Adriann is buried in the cemetery, told CBC News. “It just looks like dirt, gravel, sand.”
An Israeli military officer acknowledged that soldiers from a brigade combat team excavated to a depth of 20–30 meters beneath the cemetery in February to destroy a Hamas tunnel. The officer said no measures were taken to protect the remains because the operation was conducted under combat conditions.
Israel expands West Bank settlement
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Wednesday that 465 dunams (115 acres) of land had been designated as “state land” to expand the Givat Haroeh settlement, which is built on land in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate of the occupied West Bank.
“465 dunams have been declared state land for the purpose of expanding Givat Haroeh settlement,” Smotrich wrote on X.
“We continue to build, expand, and strengthen effective sovereignty on the ground,” he added, arguing that the move would enhance Israeli security.
Smotrich also reiterated his opposition to Palestinian statehood, declaring: “During my term, a Palestinian state will not be established.”
Israeli Channel 7 reported that the move follows a February 2023 security cabinet decision recognizing Givat Haroeh as an independent settlement.
Authorities are currently advancing an initial construction plan that includes more than 900 housing units.
The United Nations has repeatedly stated that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law and undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
Ben-Gvir boasts of home demolitions
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Wednesday that authorities had demolished 5,700 Palestinian homes over the past year and vowed to continue the policy.
“I demolished 5,700 homes in the past year alone,” Ben-Gvir said during a conference in Tel Aviv, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
“I will continue demolishing more and more homes in Bedouin communities,” he added.
Bedouin communities are located across northern and southern Israel, including the Negev region, as well as parts of the occupied West Bank.
In a June 10 report, Amnesty International said Israel had accelerated policies targeting Bedouin and herding communities through land seizures and related measures.
According to Amnesty, citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least 117 predominantly Bedouin and herding Palestinian communities experienced full or partial displacement between January 2023 and April 2026. By the end of April 2026, at least 5,910 people had been forcibly displaced.
The West Bank has witnessed a sharp increase in demolitions, military raids, and settler attacks, which Palestinians say are aimed at displacing residents and expanding settlements throughout the occupied territory.
Palestinians argue that these measures are laying the groundwork for the formal annexation of the West Bank, effectively ending prospects for an independent Palestinian state based on international resolutions.
[Photo: Israeli soldiers conduct a raid in the Old City area of Nablus in West Bank on June 23, 2026. Israeli forces imposed extensive security measures during the operation and restricted the movement of Palestinians in the area. Photojournalist: Nedal Eshtayah/AA]
