Israeli forces struck approximately 10 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon and hit a truck transporting weapons near the Security Zone on July 3, according to reports citing the Israeli military [2][8]. The Israeli military stated the strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure used for attacks on Israeli forces and were a response to breaches of a ceasefire framework [8][9]. Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar reported that Israel struck over 650 targets in southern Lebanon within a week, including rocket launchers and military infrastructure [15], while Ynet described an "unusual wave of strikes" that included an underground project near the Beaufort castle, with Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reporting one death and eight wounded [13]. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the military "will not leave" southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat [4].
Residents of southern Lebanon describe a different reality on the ground. In the town of Tibnine, Mayor Nabil Fawaz said the constant Israeli drone presence is troubling because "C'est tracassant dans le sens qu'il peut taper n'importe quoi" (It is troubling in the sense that it can strike anything), and that the Israeli army destroys everything where it enters [3]. A shopkeeper in Tibnine reported "Il y a des explosions qui se produisent, en particulier des dynamitages ici meme, a Beit Yahoun, a Haddatha, juste a cote de nous" (There are explosions occurring, particularly dynamiting right here, at Beit Yahoun, at Haddatha, just next to us), saying Israeli occupation is present all around Tibnine [3]. RFI reported that over 60 villages have been razed and a de facto buffer zone now covers more than 600 square kilometers [3]. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported at least 4,298 deaths and 12,196 injuries recorded by Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health since March 2, with 646,107 people having returned to their areas of origin while nearly 500,000 remain displaced [6]. The 2026 Lebanon Flash Appeal remains only 37 percent funded [6]. An explosion was also reported in the southern Lebanese town of Kounine, with Israel continuing to target sites and carry out demolitions in the so-called security zone despite the ceasefire agreement [7].
The strikes occur against the backdrop of a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon announced in late June, which BBC reported was co-brokered by the US and France [9] and which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented as establishing a ceasefire [12]. BBC also placed the strikes in the context of recent rare direct Israel-Lebanon talks, the first in decades [9]. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun defended the deal, stating it "does not legitimise the continued Israeli occupation of Lebanon" and empowers the Lebanese army to extend state authority, calling Lebanon's decision to separate its diplomatic track from the Iran-US track a sovereign choice [4].
Hezbollah rejected the agreement as "null and void," saying any attempt to link an Israeli withdrawal to its disarmament crossed all red lines [4]. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared the framework agreement "non-existent" and a "concession of sovereignty," stating the resistance will continue and calling for the adoption of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding as an alternative framework [17]. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah described the agreement as "surrender" and warned the resistance will not allow its implementation [20]. Iran stated its position is "completely clear" and that it will not sign any agreement before the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon [20]. Lebanese politician Walid Joumblatt described the framework agreement as a "diktat" and a "capitulation," with Le Monde reporting that criticism extends beyond Hezbollah [21]. Netanyahu also faces domestic Israeli criticism, with the Hebrew-language outlet Ice reporting that various figures described the agreement as a "big mistake" (src-014).
Six human rights and press freedom organizations — Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights, Legal Agenda, Reporters Without Borders, and the Union of Journalists in Lebanon — warned that the framework agreement betrays victims of war crimes by preventing recourse to international courts including the ICC and ICJ [4]. Amnesty International's Secretary General Agnes Callamard stated that "victims of war crimes and other violations deserve justice" and that "any agreement that fails to center their rights to justice, accountability and reparations will falter underneath the very impunity it builds" [4]. Ghida Frangieh, head of litigation at Legal Agenda, stated that "accountability and respect for international law are not bargaining chips" and that states cannot waive their obligation to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes or extinguish individual rights to truth, justice, and reparation [4]. Amnesty International specifically criticized Clause 13 and Clause 3 of the agreement [10], and Human Rights Watch raised concerns about entrenching long-term forced displacement in southern Lebanon [16]. Amnesty France documented Israeli operations aimed at illegally displacing civilian populations, including strikes, evacuation orders, and drone use [22].
UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, reported significant restrictions on its freedom of movement, including blocked routes and obstacles that halt patrols [11]. UNIFIL stated that attacks on its positions in southern Lebanon could amount to war crimes [19].
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked a foreign activist and another man while blocking Palestinian access to farmland, chasing residents away with pepper spray and rocks [1]. Palestinian Presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the escalation of settler attacks, warning that they undermine international efforts for stability, and held Israeli authorities fully responsible [18].
In Haifa district, a Palestinian citizen of Israel was killed in a shooting in Maghar, bringing the total number of Palestinian citizens of Israel killed since the beginning of 2026 to 142 [5]. The Abraham Initiatives reported that 252 people were killed in 218 separate incidents among Palestinian citizens of Israel in 2025 [5].
Israeli strikes and demolitions in southern Lebanon continue despite the framework agreement, with Hezbollah vowing continued resistance and rights groups pursuing legal challenges to the deal's accountability clauses [4][7]. Nearly 500,000 people remain displaced in Lebanon as humanitarian agencies report severe funding shortfalls [6].