Israeli airstrikes kill 32 in Lebanon despite ceasefire

At least 32 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and drone strikes in Lebanon despite an effective ceasefire. According to a report by the news agency Al Jazeera, the new violence has thrown ongoing peace talks between the United States and Iran into uncertainty.
The next round of talks on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the United States and Iran will be held in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday (June 21). The meeting will be attended by representatives from the United States and Iran, as well as Pakistan and Qatar as mediators.
However, despite a new ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah that came into effect on Friday, the talks have been complicated by the continued Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon. Tehran believes that maintaining an effective ceasefire in Lebanon is one of the conditions for the diplomatic process and that this could determine the success or failure of the US-Iran talks.
Lebanon’s Civil Defense Agency said at least 16 people were killed and 12 wounded in Israeli strikes in the southern Nabatiyah district on Saturday. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that a Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli strike in the village of Kafr Reman.
Several attacks were also reported in the Tyre district. Four members of the same family – a father, mother and their two children – were killed in an attack on a house in the village of Barish. Four more were killed and one was wounded in an attack on a house in the Sohmar area of ​​the western Bekaa region.
Lebanon’s Health Emergency Operations Center said at least seven people were killed and 13 wounded in an Israeli strike in the Qanarit area of ​​the Saida district. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said 83 people had been killed and 141 wounded in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire was announced on Friday. Most of the casualties were from southern Lebanon.
Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pate reports from the Lebanese city of Tyre that more than 100 Israeli airstrikes have been carried out in southern Lebanon since midnight on Saturday. “Today is a terrible day. Many civilians are among the dead and wounded,” she said. Members of the Lebanese army were also targeted, she said. One soldier was killed while riding a motorcycle, sparking a strong reaction within the army.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least 4,057 people have been killed and 12,121 wounded in the new conflict that began on March 2. “This highlights the fragile nature of the ceasefire. At the same time, it also highlights how dependent the entire negotiation process is on the situation in Lebanon,” Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride reports from Beirut.
The first clause of the memorandum of understanding signed between the US and Iran clearly states that ending the fighting in Lebanon is an integral part of the larger ceasefire agreement. The Lebanese army said in a statement that Israel was continuing its attacks to disrupt efforts to restore stability in Lebanon. Lebanese MP Najat Aoun Saliba said, “The Lebanese people are tired. They are fed up with this killing and destruction.”
He added that both Israel and Hezbollah have used Lebanese territory to strengthen their positions in the Iran-Iraq war. Hezbollah, on the other hand, said it had targeted Israeli troops advancing near the Nabatiya region.
The Israeli army claimed that Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire by firing more than 50 rockets and missiles at troops deployed in southern Lebanon overnight. The Israeli army also said that another soldier had been killed in an operation in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the US-Iran deal to five.
A ceasefire agreement was signed between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024. Since then, the Lebanese government has been trying to disarm Hezbollah as part of a US-backed plan. At the same time, Beirut has been demanding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.