At least 18 people have been killed in southern Lebanon following a series of Israeli air strikes overnight, the country's health ministry has said, while the Israeli military says four of its soldiers were also killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted militants and infrastructure linked to the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
It comes a day after the US and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, including a permanent cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. Both Israel and Hezbollah have carried out strikes against each other since the agreement was announced, raising questions about the future of the truce between the US and Iran.
The US-Iran deal calls for an end to hostilities on all fronts, and for Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty to be respected. However, Israel has said it has no intention of withdrawing its forces from Lebanon and has insisted that its conflict with Hezbollah was separate from the war on Iran.
Lebanon's state news agency described the overnight bombardment across the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon on Thursday as one of the most intense of the war, with at least 18 killed, 33 injured and several buildings hit. Hezbollah said it had ambushed an Israeli group in southern Lebanon, destroying three tanks with guided missiles, and targeting troops with rocket and artillery fire.
Lebanon was drawn into the war between Israel, the US and Iran shortly after it began, with Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and invading a significant part of the country's south. At least 3,783 people have been killed and 11,699 others wounded since the latest conflict began, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under domestic pressure to continue military operations against the armed group, which could put him on a collision course with US President Donald Trump, who has publicly criticised Israel's conduct in Lebanon. Responding to the deaths of the four soldiers on Friday, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that "all of Lebanon must burn". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Friday that Israel must "respect" the deal and urged the US to put pressure on the Israeli government.
The US-Iran agreement signed on Thursday includes provisions on Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief and commits both sides to pursuing a final settlement within 60 days. A new round of direct talks scheduled for Friday was delayed after US Vice-President JD Vance cancelled his planned trip to Switzerland to attend them. Vance previously criticised the attitude of some members of Netanyahu's cabinet towards the deal, saying they should "wake up and smell reality". Netanyahu himself stressed the importance of maintaining Israel's close ties with the US on Thursday, but the relationship has become strained of late.