Israeli army blows up school, shells Lebanon towns despite truce

The Israeli army blew up a school building, burned residential homes and launched artillery strikes across southern Lebanon on Saturday in fresh violations of a fragile US-brokered ceasefire agreement, according to the official Lebanese National News Agency.

School destroyed in Marjayoun

Israeli troops planted explosives inside a private school in Houla, located in the Marjayoun district, and detonated the charges to destroy the structure, the agency said. Forces also set fire to homes in the same town, it added.

Shelling and air raids across southern districts

Israeli artillery shelled Khiam and repeatedly struck the towns of Tallouseh and Bani Hayyan, while warplanes carried out two separate attacks on Bani Hayyan, according to the report. In the Nabatieh district, fighter jets hit Kfar Tibnit in two waves, and the outskirts of Mayfadoun and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah came under "heavy and concentrated" artillery fire, the agency stated.

Israeli forces also carried out large detonations in Aitaroun and Tallouseh during the operations, it added. In the Tyre district, artillery targeted Mansouri and Majdal Zoun, while earlier on Saturday, massive explosions in Mansouri sent white smoke rising around residential areas and caused tremors felt across Tyre and surrounding villages, the agency reported.

Withdrawal agreement violated

On June 26, Lebanon and Israel signed a US-sponsored Framework Agreement in Washington providing for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the deployment of the Lebanese army to areas vacated by Israeli forces. Despite the agreement, Israel has maintained its military presence in parts of the south — including territory occupied for decades — and continued to carry out attacks, such as the destruction of a public school in Mansouri that left only a small section standing, according to the agency.