Israeli Air Raids Kill Dozens In Nabatieh And Saida After Ceasefire

Israeli air raids and drone attacks in southern Lebanon continued even after a renewed ceasefire took effect on Friday, with Al Jazeera reporting that Israeli strikes killed 16 people and wounded 12 in Nabatieh district on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s Civil Defence agency.

“Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed dozens of people despite a ceasefire being in place as the United States and Iran are expected to hold talks on ending their war and cementing the truce in Lebanon”

Al Jazeera

The BBC said at least 20 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon less than 24 hours after the new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced, with local officials citing 16 deaths in Nabatieh district and seven in neighbouring Saida.

Al Jazeera

In the same period, the BBC reported that a family of four—a father, a mother and their two children—was killed in the town of Barich in southern Lebanon, state media reported.

Al Jazeera’s reporting from Tyre described “more than 100 Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon since midnight,” and said “There are civilians among those killed and wounded,” as exhausted medical teams continued treating the wounded.

The Al Jazeera account also tied the fighting to diplomacy, saying the United States and Iran were expected to hold talks on ending their war and cementing the truce in Lebanon in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday, with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar.

The BBC reported that the Israeli military said it had struck "dozens" of Hezbollah targets after the group fired over 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in the region, and it added that Hezbollah accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire while saying the group has the right to "defend their land and sovereignty".

In Al Jazeera’s account, Hezbollah said on Saturday that it targeted Israeli troops who had advanced towards an area near Nabatieh overnight, while the Israeli military published a statement saying Hezbollah had launched more than 50 projectiles towards soldiers operating in southern Lebanon overnight and was violating the ceasefire.

Anadolu Ajansı

Al Jazeera also quoted Lebanese member of parliament Najat Aoun Saliba saying, “It’s also costing us [the government] a lot of money and a lot of pain,” as she told Al Jazeera that both Israel and Hezbollah have used Lebanese territory to gain leverage over the war in Iran.

The BBC described how US envoy Steve Witkoff was reported to be heading to Switzerland for initial talks with Iran to help cement the agreement, while the White House criticised Israel’s military operation in Lebanon as risking the peace deal.

The Jerusalem Post argued that Israel’s approach in Lebanon has failed to produce a lasting result after nearly half a century, saying Israel’s military is “again stuck in a quagmire in southern Lebanon,” with Israeli soldiers continuing to die there.

As negotiations proceed in Switzerland, Al Jazeera reported that the Lebanese army said the continuation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon aimed to obstruct efforts to restore stability in the country, and it said the MoU signed between the US and Iran explicitly states that ending the war in Lebanon is an integral part of the broader ceasefire across all fronts.

Al Jazeera also said Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 4,057 people and wounded 12,121, and it described how the “shaky nature” of the ceasefire is reflected in how the negotiating process depends on what happens in the coming days and weeks.

The BBC framed the unresolved disputes as including Israel’s military presence in southern Lebanon and the future of Hezbollah’s weapons, while also noting that around a million people remain displaced and dozens of communities in the south have been completely destroyed.

L’Orient Today reported that calm in south Lebanon since Saturday at 4 p.m. largely held Sunday except for two strikes in the Nabatieh area during a visit by the Lebanese Army chief, and it said the Israeli army targeted the outskirts of Nabatieh Fawqa and the nearby Kfar Tibnit roundabout using bombs dropped by drones.

In the same account, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Hezbollah is in a “very difficult position,” adding that the group has suffered a “severe and significant blow,” and that the Israeli army is ready “to continue its operations to prevent its reconstruction.”