Israeli strikes kill 50 in Lebanon amid truce strain

Sidon, Lebanon, June 19 (EFE).- Nearly 50 people were killed and close to 100 wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon on Friday, according to Lebanese health authorities, despite diplomatic efforts to preserve a ceasefire linked to the recent US-Iran agreement.

The Health Emergency Operations Center, which operates under the Ministry of Public Health, said the casualties resulted from what it described as «intense Israeli airstrikes» carried out from midnight through Friday afternoon in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

The southern towns of Harouf and Haboush suffered the highest reported death tolls, with nine and seven fatalities respectively. At least two children were reported killed in the towns of Doueir and Arab Salim.

In eastern Lebanon, the ministry said Israeli strikes, including one targeting the town of Tal Abyad in the Baalbek region, killed three people.

The identities of the victims were not immediately released.

Ceasefire uncertainty

The attacks came despite ongoing efforts to maintain a ceasefire framework linked to the memorandum of understanding signed this week by the United States and Iran, which includes provisions aimed at ending hostilities in Lebanon.

At the same time, Israeli media outlets Haaretz, Ynet and The Times of Israel, citing a senior Israeli official, reported that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a new ceasefire set to take effect later on Friday.

Hezbollah had not publicly commented on those reports at the time of writing.

Escalation on the ground

Earlier Friday, Hezbollah said it had launched attacks against Israeli troops after detecting what it described as an attempted advance by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later insisted that Israeli forces would continue operating against Hezbollah and maintain positions in parts of southern Lebanon.

His remarks came hours after US Vice President JD Vance called on Israel to respect the broader diplomatic process initiated with Iran.

Lebanese concerns

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the latest strikes, saying they undermined efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and represented a «dangerous escalation.»

According to the latest figures released by Lebanon’s Health Ministry, 3,912 people have been killed and 11,873 wounded since the start of Israel’s military campaign on March 2.

Friday’s violence highlights the fragility of the ceasefire efforts and the risk that renewed fighting could further destabilize the region despite ongoing diplomatic initiatives. EFE

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