Several people have reportedly been killed in Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon, less than 24 hours after a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced.
Authorities in the Nabatieh district said the attacks killed 16 people and left at least 12 others injured, after Israeli warplanes, drones and artillery struck multiple locations.
The Israeli military said it targeted “Hezbollah terrorist targets” following the launch of more than 50 projectiles by Hezbollah at Israeli forces operating in the area.
Washington has criticised Israel’s continuing military operations in Lebanon, which became involved in the US-Iran conflict after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in response to a strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader.
The United States is also concerned that escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon could jeopardise the peace agreement reached with Iran, which includes a pledge to halt fighting on “all fronts”, including Lebanon.
US envoy Steve Witkoff is reportedly travelling to Switzerland for preliminary discussions with Iran aimed at strengthening the agreement.
Although the deal may have prevented a broader regional conflict for now, key issues remain unresolved, including Israel’s military presence in southern Lebanon and the future of Hezbollah’s weapons.
A Hezbollah official told the BBC that the group does not acknowledge the ceasefire announced by US officials on Friday and rejects Israel’s aim of operating freely inside Lebanese territory.
Senior Hezbollah official Hassan Fadlallah said the group retained the right to respond to Israeli attacks.
“What concerns us is that the enemy fully and comprehensively respects the ceasefire, and doesn’t attempt to attack our country and villages or seek to occupy any new position,” he said, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
Earlier on Friday, Lebanon’s health ministry reported that 47 people had been killed and 97 injured in Israeli airstrikes, while the Israeli military said four of its soldiers had also died.
Ali, a Red Cross first responder in Nabatieh, described it to the BBC as “the most intense night” he had ever experienced.
The attacks came a day after the US and Iranian presidents signed an initial peace agreement intended to end the conflict, including fighting in Lebanon, with immediate effect, although military action continued.
The effects of the conflict remain evident across southern Lebanon.
In hospitals across the south, exhausted doctors continue to care for the wounded, while emergency workers increasingly carry out recovery missions instead of rescue operations.
At Najdi Hospital in Nabatieh, ambulances reportedly bypass the emergency department and head directly to the morgue. Ali said there was no longer enough space inside, with bodies in white bags visible on the floor through the doorway.
Many residents had returned to their villages after previous ceasefires and temporary truces, believing the worst violence had passed.
“The problem is that we got used to it,” Ali said. “I have been with the Red Cross for more than 30 years, and deaths now are only a number for us.”
Israel and Hezbollah first agreed to a ceasefire in April, but the arrangement failed to end the fighting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later ordered the Israeli military to intensify strikes on Hezbollah and push deeper into Lebanon after the group launched drone and rocket attacks on communities in northern Israel.
Since then, ceasefire pledges have repeatedly been renewed, only to be followed by renewed attacks from both sides.
Netanyahu has faced domestic pressure to continue military operations against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia Muslim political and military movement based in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, has vowed to continue its attacks as long as Israel maintains its occupation of southern Lebanon.
Earlier this week, the White House criticised Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon, warning that it could undermine the peace agreement. However, speaking on Friday while unveiling a new Air Force One aircraft, President Donald Trump praised Netanyahu, describing him as a “warrior”.
Lebanon was drawn into the conflict in March after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel. Israel responded with a widespread bombing campaign across Lebanon and currently controls about 5 per cent of Lebanese territory in the south, saying its objective is to push Hezbollah fighters away from its northern border.
An estimated one million people remain displaced, while dozens of communities in southern Lebanon have been completely destroyed.
