Five killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon hours after ceasefire

DUBAI: At least five people were killed in Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks across southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanese state media reported, just hours after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.

State news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones carried out a series of strikes across the Nabatieh area overnight and into Saturday morning, destroying residential buildings and homes. Israeli artillery also shelled Nabatieh and its outskirts before dawn, threatening to derail the fragile truce.

Violation of truce

The attacks come immediately after Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group had agreed to a ceasefire on Friday following a significant escalation in hostilities across Lebanon.

According to a United States official, the truce was officially scheduled to begin at 4:00pm on Friday. A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources had also confirmed the agreement to Reuters, raising hopes for a pause in the devastating conflict before the latest bombardment.

Background to the conflict

The latest escalation comes after months of intensifying cross-border clashes and full-scale military operations that have displaced tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line. Israel’s campaign in southern Lebanon has increasingly targeted urban centres and residential hubs, aimed at pushing Hezbollah forces away from its northern border, which has drawn widespread international condemnation over the mounting civilian toll and the destruction of critical infrastructure.

Efforts to broker a lasting peace have repeatedly stalled due to conflicting demands over border security, disarmament, and regional sovereignty. While the US-brokered truce on Friday was viewed as a breakthrough to halt the spiralling violence, the swift resumption of hostilities underscores the deep-seated instability and the immense challenge of enforcing agreements between the warring parties.

Ongoing hostilities

The Nabatieh region has been one of the hardest-hit areas in southern Lebanon during the recent weeks of escalation. Saturday’s early morning strikes caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, with local emergency services scrambling to clear debris and search for survivors.

Neither the Israeli military nor Hezbollah have issued official statements regarding the latest strikes or the status of the broader ceasefire agreement.