Beirut: The Lebanese army announced on Tuesday that an Israeli airstrike targeting southern Lebanon resulted in the death of one of its soldiers, despite an ongoing ceasefire agreement. The airstrike was aimed at the town of Jebchit in the Nabatieh district, where Chief Warrant Officer Mohammad Ali Obeid was killed.

According to Anadolu Agency, Obeid was born in 1980 in Jebchit and was a decorated soldier, having received several military medals and commendations from the army commander. He was also a father of three. The incident occurred following a series of strikes reported by the official news agency NNA, which stated that Israeli drones conducted four consecutive strikes on Jebchit, followed by artillery shelling and a fifth airstrike near a prayer hall in the town.

This escalation comes just days ahead of a planned third round of talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington. The two nations, which lack formal diplomatic relations, have already participated in two rounds of discussions in the US capital last month, as part of efforts mediated by the United States to advance diplomatic negotiations.

The upcoming talks are overshadowed by continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, despite a US-mediated ceasefire that was announced on April 17 and extended to May 17. Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nasseredine reported that since the ceasefire took effect, 380 people have been killed and 1,122 injured.

Furthermore, since March 2, official Lebanese data indicates that Israeli attacks in Lebanon have resulted in the deaths of more than 2,869 people, injured over 8,730 others, and displaced more than 1.6 million individuals, representing approximately one-fifth of the population.