Netanyahu orders army to 'vigorously attack' Hezbollah in Lebanon

Netanyahu orders army to 'vigorously attack' Hezbollah in Lebanon1 day agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleChris GrahamReutersIsrael continues to occupy a much of southern LebanonIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his military to "vigorously attack Hezbollah targets" in Lebanon, two days after a ceasefire was extended by three weeks. Fresh Israeli attacks followed the directive, which came after at least six people were killed in strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday. Further cross-border exchanges between the two sides have strained the truce agreement, highlighting the precarity of the ceasefire.The agreement, which has seen a reduction in fire rather than a complete halt, was extended on Thursday after talks between the countries' envoys in Washington.Earlier on Saturday, Israeli strikes on a truck and a motorbike in the town of Yohmor al-Shaqeef in the Nabatieh district killed four people, Lebanon's health ministry said, according to Agence-France-Presse.Another two people were killed and 17 injured in an attack on the town of Safad al-Battikh, in the Bint Jbeil district, it said.EPAThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had "eliminated" three Hezbollah members on Saturday who were driving "a vehicle loaded with weapons", as well as another one riding a motorcycle. It said two more armed members of the group were killed in the Litani area, where Israel has kept soldiers in the self-declared buffer zone, saying they "posed a threat to the IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon".The IDF later said a "suspicious aerial target was identified" in the area of Malkia, adding the "incident constitutes an additional violation of the ceasefire".Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it targeted an Israeli army vehicle in south Lebanon in retaliation for the attack on Yohmor al-Shaqeef, AFP reported. Following Netanyahu's order to attack the group, Lebanon's stat...