Israel strikes southern Lebanon despite ceasefire push, 16 killed

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people hours after ceasefire reports emerged. The fresh violence has cast doubt on the truce and pushed back crucial US-Iran talks.

In Short

• Nabatiyeh and nearby villages suffered deadly raids, with survivors trapped under rubble
• Hezbollah reported accepting the truce yet accused Israel of repeated breaches
• The interim US-Iran deal aimed to reopen Hormuz and restart nuclear talks

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least 16 people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement, as mediators worked to stop the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The continued violence also threatened an interim agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the wider war in the Middle East. The deal has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz and is meant to restart talks on Iran's nuclear programme, but the fighting in Lebanon has delayed planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland.

Lebanon's National News Agency said the strikes hit the southern town of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages. It said at least seven people remained trapped under the rubble. The fresh attacks came after a heavy exchange on Friday in which at least 47 people were killed in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers were killed.

An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously in line with regulations, said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting the military to target the group there. The Israeli army said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and militants in southern Lebanon, including rocket-launching positions and Hezbollah command centres.

On Friday, Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, said on X that Israel "remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire" if Hezbollah honours the agreement and ceases hostilities. On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had committed to the ceasefire but accused Israel of violating it several times on Friday night. In a statement, the group's military wing said it would abide by the ceasefire but would also repel attacks by Israeli troops.

Hezbollah and Israel went to war days after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and Israel seizing large swathes of southern Lebanon. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the interim US-Iran deal, which calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and for the country's sovereignty to be respected. With fighting continuing, the accord is under pressure and the US-Iran talks planned to begin on Friday in Switzerland have been delayed without a new date.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has said it will not stop its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal. A new round of US-backed talks between the Lebanese government and Israel is expected in Washington next week.

In southern Lebanon, a strike on the village of Barish killed four members of one family, including parents and two children. In Arab Salim, a body was pulled from a destroyed house. In Doueir and Kfar Rumman, drone strikes killed a man on a motorcycle and a Lebanese soldier. Nine more people were killed in strikes on Qannarit, Sohmor and Shehour.

Plumes of smoke rose over southern Lebanon on Saturday and Israeli jets flew low over the coastal city of Tyre. Residents told The Associated Press they were relieved the city had been spared in recent days, but said the sound of the aircraft was a reminder that the war was not over. Many said they doubted a ceasefire, even if agreed, would hold. "Our entire lives would change if there's a ceasefire," said Tyre resident Hussein Khoshman.

Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment on the ceasefire efforts. On Friday, Netanyahu said on X that, on his orders, the Israeli army had "struck powerfully" 150 Hezbollah targets and killed dozens of militants. Military spokesman Brig Gen Effie Defrin said Israeli forces were operating in a "forward defence zone" and would continue to do so.

Iranian officials did not travel to Switzerland as planned, saying the fighting in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place. US Vice President JD Vance also postponed his trip. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the semi-official ISNA news agency that Pakistan's interior minister would arrive in Iran as part of continuing negotiation efforts. Baghaei said consultations through mediators were continuing on the next phase of talks to draft a final US-Iran agreement. He added that because the initial deal was signed digitally earlier this week, the Switzerland talks were not urgent and plans were being made for a meeting in the coming days.

The Switzerland talks were expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme. Tehran says it is for peaceful purposes only, though the International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran has a large stockpile of uranium enriched to levels just short of weapons grade, material that could be used to build multiple atomic bombs if Tehran chose to do so. Negotiations are expected to be difficult. The 2015 nuclear deal, which US President Donald Trump scrapped during his first term, took more than 18 months to negotiate.

The interim deal gives negotiators 60 days, with a possible extension, to reach a nuclear agreement. It offers incentives including the eventual lifting of all international sanctions and a USD 300 billion fund for post-war reconstruction. Iran has already secured some concessions, with the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports and allowing it to sell oil freely. The deal also calls for Iranian assets to be unfrozen, though it is not clear how quickly. Even as both sides speak of a ceasefire, the fighting in southern Lebanon and the delayed diplomacy show that several parts of the wider agreement remain unresolved.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends