Lebanon fighting eases

War uproots 1.2 million people since March

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM:

Fighting in southern Lebanon eased on Monday after the US-Iran deal to end the wider conflict was announced, but an Israeli drone strike killed one person and authorities warned displaced people not to rush home as Israel said it would keep troops in the south.

Lebanon has suffered the deadliest spillover of the conflict between the US and Iran, with nearly 3,800 people killed and some 1.2 million people uprooted by an Israeli offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which opened fire on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.

The declaration brought relative calm to southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese and foreign security sources. An Israeli drone strike on a car in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Tebnit killed the driver, a Lebanese security source and Lebanese state media said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike.

The local and foreign security sources earlier said Israel had significantly reduced its attacks, though some artillery fire was reported in southern Lebanese towns and a drone was heard above Beirut and its southern suburbs.

A Hezbollah official told Reuters the group had not carried out any operations since the deal was announced, adding that its position on the ceasefire was linked to Israel adhering to it.

The official, who declined to be named, added that Hezbollah rejects Israeli "freedom of movement" in Lebanon and said Iran delayed signing the deal with the U.S. to monitor Israel's adherence to the ceasefire in Lebanon.

In a written statement on Monday before Israel's drone strike, Hezbollah welcomed the US-Iran deal, saying it had resulted in a comprehensive ceasefire including in Lebanon.

The Tehran-backed group warned Israel that it would not accept any attacks that violate Lebanon's sovereignty or target its people, and said Lebanon's inclusion in the agreement reflected Iran's commitment to ending the war.

In south Lebanon, municipal councils called on residents to hold off on returning home.