Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon, Killing 17 Despite Ceasefire Collapse

Fresh Israeli airstrikes hit multiple locations across Southern Lebanon and areas near Beirut as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be collapsing, with at least six people reportedly killed and several others injured after overnight strikes targeted residential zones.

The BBC reported that Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli raids on south Lebanon killed 17 people and that the death toll since Thursday rose to 110, with Israel saying it was targeting Hezbollah fighters.

Al Jazeera

In parallel, the BBC said Israel’s army spokesman Avichai Adraee issued a statement calling residents of several villages to move at least one kilometer away from their homes, with those villages lying outside the Yellow Line, a strip of land about 10 kilometers from the Lebanon-Israel border.

The BBC also reported that Lebanese officials rejected Israel’s interpretation of the ceasefire terms, while Hezbollah acknowledged carrying out attacks including drone strikes on Israeli soldiers in Naqoura and firing rockets at troops in al-Qantara, southeast of the country.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem dismissed the diplomatic process, telling the BBC that: "Direct negotiations are a free concession with no results, serving Netanyahu's interests who seeks a symbolic victory, and serving U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm elections."

The BBC said Lebanese President Jozef Aoun urged Israel to fully implement the ceasefire before moving forward with any further negotiations, as efforts to stop the fighting through diplomacy had failed so far.

Al-Jazeera Net

In a separate account, the Reuters-linked live updates in Dawn said Israeli strikes have killed 380 in Lebanon since the truce, citing the health ministry, and also noted that Israeli attack kills three people in Doueir, southern Lebanon.

Dawn’s live updates also quoted Hezbollah chief saying the group’s weapons were not part of negotiations with Israel, while reporting that several wounded followed an Israeli attack on south Lebanon’s Tyre area.

The BBC said Israel reserves a role for military action under the ceasefire framework, describing how the Israeli army stresses that the agreement allows it to move against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks, while Lebanese officials accuse Israel of repeated violations.

Le Soir reported that the health ministry told AFP that Israeli strikes since the establishment of the ceasefire on April 17 left 380 dead, and it quoted the ceasefire terms that Israel reserves "the right to take, at any time, all necessary measures in self-defense," a clause contested by Hezbollah.

The BBC also said Hezbollah described its attacks as retaliation for Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon villages, and it reported that Netanyahu acknowledged the growing danger of Hezbollah's drone capabilities, warning that addressing it will take time.

Meanwhile, the Breakingthenews.net account, citing Lebanon’s Health Ministry told AFP, put the figure at 380 killed in Israeli raids since the ceasefire came into effect, and said the renewed violence is part of a wider conflict that has killed 2,702 people in Lebanon since March 2, with over 8,311 wounded and more than one million displaced.