At least six people were killed Thursday and two more wounded in a pair of Israeli drone strikes targeting vehicles in the neighboring towns of Zawtar and Mayfadoun, in Lebanon’s Nabatieh District.
The first strike was reported in Mayfadoun, where a drone hit a car on the road just outside of town, killing two and wounding one. A third fatality was later confirmed in the incident. The IDF has yet to comment on the incident.
A second vehicle was struck in Zawtar, the town immediately south of Mayfadoun, killing another three people and wounding one more. That attack reportedly targeted a motorcycle along the road.
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, June 19, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
The US claimed Israel had withdrawn some troops from Lebanon as a “good faith” gesture. Israel and Lebanon both issued statements fairly quickly insisting no such thing took place, and Israeli officials again reiterated they don’t intend to order a pullout until Hezbollah is totally disarmed.
These attacks continue in spite of multiple active ceasefires being in place, and as Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that substantial progress had been made in the negotiation of what is expected to be yet another such ceasefire.
When the talks began earlier this week, Israel made clear that they considered their “red lines” for any ceasefire that they won’t agree to withdraw from Lebanese territory, nor will they agree to stop attacking Lebanon, so there is fairly limited hope for the next ceasefire amounting to anything substantial.
Israel also announced another reservist soldier had died in Lebanon, though this was not a combat-related death. The reservist, a driver, died when the fuel truck he was driving overturned in southern Lebanon.
