Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli drones struck several locations along roads in southern Lebanon on Thursday morning.

The agency said at least one of the attacks resulted in casualties, though details were not immediately available.

The strikes came despite Wednesday’s announcement that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to implement a US-backed ceasefire, contingent on an end to attacks by the anti-Israel Hezbollah movement.

The agreement follows previous ceasefire arrangements reached in April and extended in May, both of which failed to halt violence completely.

Israel’s radical defence minister Israel Katz said military operations in southern Lebanon would continue for the time being.

In a statement, Katz said Israeli troops would remain in what he described as a security zone in southern Lebanon up to the “Yellow Line,” including the area around Beaufort Castle, a centuries-old fortress captured by Israeli forces last week.

“The IDF will, at this stage, continue its fire and ground operations, remain in the security zone in Lebanon, and continue dismantling terrorist infrastructure on the ground,” Katz said.

He also indicated that Lebanese residents displaced by the Israeli firing would not yet be allowed to return to their homes in the affected areas.

Katz further stated that Israel retained the “freedom of action” to conduct strikes in Beirut if Hezbollah launched attacks against Israeli communities or territory.

He said this authority was backed by the United States as part of the ceasefire understandings.

The latest developments underscore the fragility of the ceasefire arrangement, with military operations continuing on the ground even as diplomatic efforts seek to prevent a wider escalation along the Israel-Lebanon border.