Israeli Strikes Kill Three in Southern Lebanon Despite US-Iran Ceasefire Agreement

Israeli air attacks in southern Lebanon killed at least three people on Thursday, according to Lebanese state media, marking continued military operations despite a US-Iran interim agreement calling for an end to hostilities on all fronts. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone strike hit a car near Kfar Tebnit, killing two people, while at least one person was killed in a separate strike in Zabadin. The attacks underscored the fragility of the ceasefire framework signed by the United States and Iran, which explicitly included provisions for halting the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Hezbollah claimed it successfully repelled a four-day Israeli offensive designed to advance deeper into southern Lebanon, stating that its fighters used drones, rockets, and artillery to target Israeli troops and tanks and prevent progress toward Kfar Tebnit. The group said it continued responding to Israeli strikes, signaling its refusal to accept a one-sided ceasefire. Israeli military forces released a map showing their positions extending approximately 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory along their "Yellow Line," a demarcation similar to measures used in Gaza. Maritime legal experts noted that portions of the Israeli-occupied area extend into Lebanese maritime territory, potentially violating the 2022 US-brokered maritime agreement and threatening Lebanon's Qana gas project.

President Trump stated the US expected "a complete ceasefire on all fronts," including between Israel and Hezbollah, and called for regional commitment to allowing negotiations to proceed. However, the Israeli prime minister faced domestic pressure from ruling Likud party members opposing withdrawal from Lebanon. Moshe Saada told Reuters that Netanyahu should reject US pressure, arguing that maintaining Israeli forces in Lebanon was essential for security and that Israel should "strike Lebanon everywhere, around the clock, with maximum force."

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Beirut reported a reduction in intensive bombing campaigns across southern Lebanon in recent days, but Israeli drone strikes continued to cause casualties. Hezbollah, emboldened by the US-Iran agreement, felt it now had leverage to retaliate more forcefully, having killed one Israeli soldier and wounded others in recent attacks. The group indicated it would not accept disarmament as part of any settlement. The US Treasury Department simultaneously announced sanctions against Lebanese officials accused of aligning with Hezbollah and members of a sanctioned business network, adding another layer of pressure to the fragile diplomatic situation.