Israel Escalates Attacks in Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire

Israeli forces have intensified attacks across southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered ceasefire, with at least 11 people, including children, killed in strikes on Saturday.

The deadliest attacks were reported in Lebanon’s Nabatieh district. Seven people were killed and three others wounded when an Israeli airstrike destroyed a house near Ansar village, while four more people were killed in Deir al-Zahrani.

Israeli forces also carried out strikes near the Ali al-Taher ridge, close to the historic Beaufort Castle, as well as attacks and artillery shelling around several southern Lebanese towns.

Israel said the strikes were carried out in response to what it described as a Hezbollah attack on Israeli soldiers at Ali al-Taher. The Israeli military also claimed it killed two Hezbollah commanders in the attacks.

Lebanese officials strongly condemned the escalation. President Joseph Aoun said the attacks repeatedly violated the ceasefire and represented a serious threat to ongoing negotiations. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on Israel to halt the attacks, while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described the strikes as a “massacre.”

The latest escalation comes as Lebanon and Israel prepare for another round of negotiations. A major dispute remains over Israel’s continued presence in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah’s disarmament.

Under a US-brokered framework agreed in June, Israel was expected to withdraw from large parts of southern Lebanon after Hezbollah’s disarmament and the deployment of the Lebanese army in border areas. However, Israel continues to occupy significant territory in southern Lebanon.

Analysts say the latest attacks could be aimed at increasing pressure on Hezbollah and the Lebanese government ahead of the negotiations. Hezbollah, meanwhile, has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of escalating the conflict for political and electoral reasons ahead of Israel’s October election.

The renewed violence has raised further questions about whether the ceasefire can hold and whether the planned negotiations can produce a lasting agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

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