ABSTRACT

Two men were killed in southern Lebanon's Bint Jbeil district while taking part in the annual olive harvest, according to Lebanese state media and local authorities. One of the men died on Sunday in the village of Froun when a munition left behind by recent fighting exploded, and the other died in Yater as a result of Israeli shelling that "targeted the outskirts of the town while he was inspecting his land and olive harvest", according to the official National News Agency.

Al Jazeera English

Two olive harvesters killed in southern Lebanon; Lebanese army blames Israeli fire

Oct 11, 2026, 4:46 PM

Context

Violence in southern Lebanon has lessened but not stopped since an agreement between Lebanon and Israel was struck in June, according to the report.

Lebanon was pulled into the conflict on March 2, when Hezbollah struck Israel in support of Tehran during the US-Israel war on Iran, the report states. Israel then launched a bombing campaign and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say have killed more than 4,300 people.

The National News Agency reported that in Froun "a foreign object" left over from previous Israeli operations exploded and killed the man, who was an engineer, as he and others tended their trees. Local residents called off the harvest and were waiting for "the Lebanese army to complete the decontamination of the village", Froun mayor Hassan Bazzi told AFP.

Volunteers from the nearby town of Jebchit and local residents came to help their southern neighbours with the harvest.

All Perspectives

Lebanese army: The Lebanese army blamed Israeli tank fire for the deaths and described the continuing attacks as "a flagrant breach of existing agreements".

Yater municipality: The municipality urged residents "to avoid the outskirts of the town and refrain from crossing the earthen barrier separating some unsafe neighbourhoods", citing fear of Israeli attacks.

Hassan Bazzi, mayor of Froun: Bazzi told AFP that the engineer who was killed had come down from Beirut, where he lives, for the harvest. He said the incident prompted local residents to call off the harvest and wait for "the Lebanese army to complete the decontamination of the village".

Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's prime minister: In August, Salam accused Israel of intentionally targeting homes and civilian infrastructure across the country.

Ahmad Chahhal, harvest organiser: "From north to south, one people and one land," Chahhal said, describing the volunteer olive-picking effort in the south.

Position not represented in the source reporting: Israeli military.

Gaps & Unknowns

The source does not name the two men who were killed or state their ages, and gives the name of only one victim's occupation, an engineer.
The source does not state the date on which the second man, in Yater, died; it gives Sunday only for the death in Froun.
The source does not state whether Israeli officials responded to the Lebanese army's accusation or to the reports of shelling and the leftover munition.
The source does not state the terms of the June agreement between Lebanon and Israel, or which body monitors compliance.
The source does not state how many people have been killed in southern Lebanon since the June agreement was struck.
The source gives an internally displaced figure of nearly 350,000 recorded by the International Organization for Migration in late August and does not provide a later figure.
The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.

Sources & Further Reading

Al Jazeera English — original

Read the original at Al Jazeera English

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