Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that the Israeli military was not prepared to accept any restrictions on its operations in southern Lebanon following reports of renewed airstrikes on targets in the region.
Action could still be taken to "remove threats," a statement from Katz said as continuing clashes in Lebanon cast a shadow over talks in Switzerland between top US and Iranian negotiators.
The statement continued that the military reacted vigorously to fatal attacks on its forces and eliminated a large number of Hezbollah fighters. "The protection of the lives of our soldiers and citizens has the highest and unrestricted priority" the statement said.
Earlier, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported that five people, including a child, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Beqaa Valley.
Two Palestinians were killed in a separate attack near the southern coastal city of Tyre, the NNA reported. The Israeli military said it was not aware of any strikes conducted by its forces overnight.
In his statement, Katz said Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire. "Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon," he said. The Lebanese government sees the zone as an illegal occupation under international law.
According to Lebanese security sources, Israeli ground forces are closely monitoring a strategically significant hill near Nabatiyeh to the north-east of Tyre where they have not seized control.
The sources report that fighters of the Hezbollah militia and commanders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are concealed there.
By contrast, Israel's ynet news website reports that the Israeli military does in fact control the area.
The hill is said to house a fortified underground base constructed with Iranian support that forms one of the most important Hezbollah command-and-control centres in southern Lebanon. Dozens of Hezbollah fighters are said to be concealed there.
Hezbollah has denied these reports to the Al Jazeera news broadcaster, saying that the Israeli military is using them to boost morale after Israeli forces failed to seize the hill. Three weeks ago, Israeli forces seized the nearby Beaufort Castle, a fortification dating back to the 12th century.
There have been repeated clashes in the region. Four Israeli soldiers died recently in an attack on their tank.
Israel has accused Hezbollah of repeated violations of the current ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran. Israeli forces have responded to the violations, jeopardizing the wider ceasefire.
According to official reports, more than 4,000 people have been killed and more than 12,000 have been injured in the conflict in Lebanon since the beginning of March.
