Israeli Strike Kills Two in Lebanese Town

At least two people were killed and four injured in an Israeli strike on the Lebanese town of Marjayoun, the country's health ministry said.

Marjayoun is a predominantly Christian town near Lebanon's border with Israel.

Iran-backed Hezbollah began cross-border attacks on Israel soon after Israeli forces began their military campaign against Gaza on October 7 last year in response to the deadly Hamas attack on Israel. Israeli fire, initially confined to Lebanon's border area, has now targeted senior Hezbollah, Hamas and other figures further north.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, was in Beirut to try and stop an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, after the latter killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.

Hochstein said he believed all-out war between Israel and Lebanon's powerful militant group Hezbollah could be avoided but that Israel and Hamas needed to move towards a peace agreement for Gaza without further delay.

Israel’s military chief of staff said in a video released that the Gaza-Egypt border could be monitored remotely.

“We are preparing for all scenarios that could be decided at a political level. If they decide that we stay in the Philadelphi Corridor, we will know how to stay there and stay strong. If they decide that we monitor and raid every time we have an indication, we will know how to do that. We will know how to work well,” Herzi Halevi said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted in recent weeks that Israel retain control of a border strip between Gaza and Egypt to stop weapons smuggling.

Hamas wants a ceasefire agreement to end the war in Gaza, while Netanyahu says the conflict will stop only once Hamas is defeated. There are also disagreements over how a deal would be implemented.