Israeli Strikes On Lebanon Kill 3,020 As Israel And Hezbollah Extend Ceasefire

The BBC reported that the death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon has surpassed 3,000, putting it at 3,020 on Monday, as Lebanon’s health ministry said the figure rose during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated at the beginning of March.

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The BBC said Lebanon was drawn into the war on 2 March, when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel after an Israeli strike killed Iran's supreme leader.

BBC

The BBC also reported that more than 400 of the deaths occurred since the ceasefire came into effect on 17 April, even as Lebanon and Israel agreed on Friday to extend their truce by 45 days.

The BBC said Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley continued after the extension, and it described a sweeping series of strikes across more than two dozen villages on Saturday, only nine of which were preceded by evacuation warnings.

The BBC added that Hezbollah said its fighters targeted the Yaara barracks in northern Israel “with a swarm of attack drones,” after which Israel’s military said a soldier was killed during fighting there, bringing its losses since early March to 20.

ynetnews said the United States extended the “ceasefire” to advance negotiations and that for the first time a “security track” will open in the talks, while it also described continued IDF strikes on 100 Hezbollah targets.

ynetnews reported that over the past 24 hours Hezbollah launched FPV drones and mortar fire in several incidents, which the army said landed near areas where Israeli forces are operating in southern Lebanon.

BBC

ynetnews said the IDF struck 100 targets in southern Lebanon over the weekend, including observation posts, terror infrastructure and a Hezbollah weapons depot.

In Jerusalem, ynetnews said officials remained dependent on President Donald Trump, while it also quoted Hezbollah’s rejection of external pressure in a statement that said: “We completely reject any dictate, pressure or external guidance, American or otherwise, that seeks to impose by force on Lebanon a fate that harms its sovereignty, independence and dignity and contradicts the most basic national principles on which all Lebanese must agree.”

The Jerusalem Post argued that the ceasefire extension is “something of a fiction,” saying it is Hezbollah that decided to wage war against Israel and that “their armies aren’t fighting one another.”

Al Jazeera reported that an upcoming meeting in Washington is expected between Israeli and Lebanese officials with representatives from the United States to discuss ways to achieve a ceasefire, with the date of the talks not yet set.

Al Jazeera said a senior Lebanese official told Reuters on Friday that Lebanon would participate in the talks and called for a ceasefire as a prerequisite for negotiations aimed at reaching a broader agreement with Israel.

Al Jazeera reported that the Wall Street Journal, citing mediators and informed sources, said Lebanese officials expressed a desire for a temporary ceasefire before negotiations begin, while it also said Netanyahu rejected a ceasefire but Israel would scale back its strikes in response to a request from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Jerusalem Post said the ceasefire “ties Israel’s hands,” arguing that it restricts Israel’s military options and that Israel is not using its full force in response to attacks.

The Jerusalem Post also quoted former National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat arguing Friday in Makor Rishon that Israel needs to “create a disproportionate equation making clear that the use of explosive drones against us will trigger Israeli strikes in Beirut.”