Israeli soldiers on patrol on the border with Lebanon. (Photo: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
Five people were killed in renewed Israeli attacks in the south of the country, Lebanese state media reported on Saturday. This despite a new ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group that was announced a day before.
The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israel carried out airstrikes on numerous targets in the south of the country after midnight and until early Saturday morning. Several of them were reportedly in the Nabatieh area.
There were also reports of Israeli attacks on the city of Nabatieh and its outskirts. This is an area on which fighting has been focused in the past few days.
The NNA reported that three people were killed in airstrikes on the town of Arab Salim, while one was killed in Deir Zahrani. Another death was reported in the town of Dweir, where an “enemy drone attacked a motorcycle”.
An American official told AFP on Friday that an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah had been entered into. This was achieved thanks to mediators from the US and Qatar, after talks with Israel and Iran.
A diplomat from one of the Gulf countries confirmed this.
Israel’s ambassador to the US said Israel would abide by the ceasefire, provided Hezbollah respected it.
Previous similar announcements have done little to end attacks from either side.
The announcement comes after Lebanon’s health department said Israeli airstrikes and shelling of the country’s south claimed at least 47 lives on Friday. This is the worst violence since Washington and Tehran reached an agreement last week to end the larger war in the Middle East.
That agreement was supposed to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel said on Friday that four of its soldiers were killed. He said more than 150 attacks had also been carried out on Lebanon, claiming the lives of “dozens of Hezbollah terrorists”.
Smoke hangs in the air after an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon. (Photo: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
Pres. Joseph Aoun of Lebanon also told Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, on Friday that a comprehensive ceasefire with Israel is necessary to make any progress.
Under American pressure, Lebanon began direct talks with Israel in Washington in April in an attempt to end hostilities and separate the Israel-Hezbollah conflict from the larger regional war.
A fifth round of talks is expected to begin on Tuesday.
US officials, and Pres. Donald Trump of the USA has already expressed his frustration with Israel’s campaign in Lebanon.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized on Friday that Israeli troops will remain “as long as necessary” in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in early March with attacks on Israel in retaliation for the death of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israel-led strikes.
Israel responded with air and ground attacks.