BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese army withdrew its personnel on Saturday from a military base in a southern village after Israeli forces moved closer to the area, according to a Lebanese military official.

Israeli operations appear aimed at securing as much territory as possible amid reports that a potential U.S.-Iran agreement to end the regional conflict could be reached, an arrangement that would likely address developments in Lebanon.

The pullout from the barracks in Kfar Tebnit followed an Israeli evacuation warning covering roughly 20 locations, including the southern city of Nabatiyeh and surrounding communities.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli airstrikes struck several villages near Nabatiyeh on Saturday. In Deir al-Zahrani, two people were killed in one of the attacks. Nabatiyeh also came under artillery fire during the day, the agency said.

A senior Lebanese military official stated that troops left the Kfar Tebnit base after Israeli forces advanced into the vicinity. The official declined to provide further details and spoke anonymously in accordance with military regulations.

Israeli troops were believed to be seeking control of the strategically important Ali Taher hill, located on the outskirts of Kfar Tebnit. The hill overlooks broad areas of Nabatiyeh and key roads connecting the city to nearby villages.

Israel previously maintained control of the Ali Taher hill for 18 years before withdrawing from southern Lebanon in May 2000.

Hezbollah announced that its fighters carried out multiple operations on Saturday, including a morning drone strike targeting Israeli troops near the edge of Kfar Tebnit using two unmanned aerial vehicles.

Since the outbreak of the latest conflict, Hezbollah has deployed fiber-optic guided drones, which have caused casualties among Israeli forces.

In late May, Israeli troops seized another prominent position in the area — a mountain crowned by the historic Beaufort Castle — marking their deepest advance into Lebanon since 2000.

The Lebanese army later reported that an Israeli drone attempted to strike a soldier traveling near a hospital in Nabatiyeh but failed. A subsequent drone attack hit the same soldier on the road between Nabatiyeh and the nearby village of Kfar Rumman, leaving him seriously wounded.

The escalation near Kfar Tebnit came one day after Pakistan’s prime minister announced that the United States and Iran had agreed on draft language for a deal intended to end their conflict in the Middle East, with mediators working to finalize the agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on state television that negotiations were progressing toward an initial accord to declare an end to hostilities “on all fronts, including Lebanon.”

Senior Hezbollah official Hussein Haj Hassan told Al Jazeera that Iranian authorities had informed the group that Lebanon would be included in any forthcoming ceasefire arrangement between Washington and Tehran.

Iran has long been Hezbollah’s primary supporter, providing the organization with a range of weapons and billions of dollars in financial assistance over the past four decades.

Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have persisted despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and has been renewed several times, though fighting has continued in practice.

Israeli forces still control significant portions of southern Lebanon while engaging Hezbollah fighters, leading to civilian deaths and widespread infrastructure damage. Hezbollah, which is not a party to the formal ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, has continued launching rockets and drones.

The current Israel-Hezbollah conflict erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the United States and Israel initiated strikes against Iran.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, more than 3,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since the fighting intensified. Israeli authorities report that 30 soldiers and one defense contractor have died in or near southern Lebanon, while two civilians have been killed in northern Israel.