The fifth round of discussions between Israel and Lebanon began on Tuesday in Washington. The focus rests on establishing pilot zones for Israeli troop pullback, allowing the Lebanese army to demonstrate its capacity to neutralize Hezbollah arms.

Shortly before the sessions started, Hezbollah accused the IDF of breaking the ceasefire. The group stated that troops fired automatic weapons at civilians close to Nabatiya at about 11:30 a.m.

The organization described the reported event as treacherous and asserted that two civilians died while two others suffered injuries.

This action represents a clear breach of the ceasefire, which the resistance has maintained carefully up to this point, the group declared.

Earlier Tuesday, Lebanese outlets indicated that negotiators were considering the return of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad in exchange for Lebanese detainees.

Israeli sources informed The Jerusalem Post that they had no knowledge of this proposal and lacked fresh details on Ron Arad, though they would welcome any new information from Lebanese counterparts.

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun stated that his administration would settle for nothing short of ending the Israeli presence in southern Lebanon.

We are entering a new phase that we hope proves decisive toward achieving our national goals, he noted during a cabinet session. This includes restoring full Lebanese sovereignty across all territory and extending state control everywhere.

IDF Targets Hezbollah Cell Threatening Troops in Southern Lebanon

Hezbollah issued its statement after the IDF hit an armed cell near troops at Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon within the Security Zone.

The military verified the action earlier Tuesday.

Lebanese media reported a second incident that day, involving a drone strike on a parked vehicle between Beit Yahoun and Baraashit in southern Lebanon.

The IDF offered no statement on that event.

Amichai Stein contributed to this report.