Despite a ceasefire that took effect three weeks ago, Israel launched a series of airstrikes across Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least 39 people, according to Lebanese authorities. The raids, concentrated in the south but also hitting a highway near Beirut, mark some of the most intense exchanges since the truce was brokered by Washington.
Hezbollah retaliated by targeting Israeli troops in northern Israel with drones on at least two occasions, the group said. The Israeli military confirmed that “several” explosive drones crossed into its territory, leaving one reservist severely wounded and two others moderately injured.
Civilian Casualties Mount
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported a series of strikes across the south, including one on the town of Saksakiyeh. The health ministry said that raid “resulted in an initial toll of seven martyrs, including a girl, and 15 wounded, including three children.” The Israeli military said it struck “Hezbollah terrorists operating from within a structure used for military purposes” in Saksakiyeh, adding it was “aware of reports regarding harm to uninvolved civilians” and that the incident was under review.
In Nabatieh, a strike on a motorbike killed a Syrian national and his 12-year-old daughter. The health ministry described a harrowing sequence: after the family moved away from the first strike, a drone attacked a second time, killing the father, then targeted the girl “directly for a third time.” She was undergoing life-saving surgery.
In the southern town of Bedias, one person was killed and 13 wounded, including six children and two women. Israel’s military had called on residents of nine villages to evacuate, warning it would act “forcefully” against Hezbollah, but neither Saksakiyeh nor Bedias were among those listed.
The NNA also reported two strikes on the Saadiyat highway, about 20 kilometres south of Beirut and outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds, with a third strike later nearby.
Ceasefire Under Strain
The ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, allows Israel to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.” Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli military said it struck more than 85 Hezbollah infrastructure sites. Israeli troops are also operating inside a “yellow line” roughly 10 kilometres inside Lebanon along the border, where residents have been warned not to return.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah warned of “a new phase, in which the resistance will not accept a return to pre-March 2.” That was the date Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Until March, the group had largely refrained from firing back despite regular Israeli strikes targeting its rearmament efforts.
“When it attacks our villages and suburbs, the enemy must expect a response,” Fadlallah said, alluding to an Israeli attack this week on Beirut’s southern suburbs that killed a Hezbollah commander. Hezbollah also claimed several attacks on Israeli military targets inside Lebanon using rockets and drones.
Lebanese and Israeli representatives are set for a fresh round of direct talks in Washington next week. A first meeting was held days before Trump announced the ceasefire, and a second round as he announced a three-week extension. Fadlallah dismissed the talks as a “path of concessions,” urging the government to withdraw in favour of indirect negotiations.
The violence underscores the fragility of the truce, which has done little to halt daily exchanges. For European observers, the escalation raises concerns about broader regional instability, particularly given the involvement of Iran and the potential for spillover into European security interests in the eastern Mediterranean.
