Israel halts offensive operations in southern Lebanon after ceasefire collapse kills dozens

Ceasefire and immediate violations

A truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militia entered into force on Friday at 16:00 local time, brokered by the United States and Qatar with Iranian support. Within minutes, both sides blamed each other for violations. Lebanese authorities reported intense Israeli airstrikes across the south and east of the country, while the Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at its forces in the same area.

“As far as we know, there is now a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah after today's firefight.”

The Lebanese Civil Defence described retrieving 16 bodies from the city of Nabatieh alone. The Health Ministry said seven people were killed in an airstrike on Qennarit and 13 others wounded. State media reported additional deaths in Sohmor, Arabsalim, Rihan and the Tyre district.

Casualties and mutual accusations

The Lebanese army accused Israel of preventing any solution that would restore stability, saying two of its own soldiers were among the dead. The day before the ceasefire began, 83 people had already been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Health Ministry. Israel confirmed that five of its soldiers died in clashes in southern Lebanon over the 48-hour period.

“The IDF does not carry out offensive attacks but acts exclusively defensively within the security zone.”

Hezbollah fighters said they had responded to an advance by Israeli troops. The militia insisted it still upholds the ceasefire but will resist any attempt to seize more territory.

Shift in Israeli military posture

On Saturday evening, the Israeli army announced it had received updated ceasefire instructions from the political leadership. The spokesman said operations are now limited to defensive action inside a security zone along the border, including the right to respond if Hezbollah breaks the truce. Israeli forces remain deployed in the Tebnit area, where they have uncovered what the army describes as a major underground Hezbollah facility stretching more than a kilometre.

“These defensive measures include the right to respond should Hezbollah fail to abide by the ceasefire and continue to attack our soldiers or civilians.”

The unilateral security zone, described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a barrier between Hezbollah and northern Israel, is considered illegally occupied territory by the Lebanese government.

Threat to the US-Iran framework

The violence imperils the framework agreement signed by Washington and Tehran on Wednesday, which mandates a region-wide ceasefire and explicitly covers Lebanon. Iran had insisted that any accord with the United States include an end to hostilities in Lebanon, where Hezbollah dragged the country into the Iran war in early March.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff has travelled to Switzerland for initial talks on a possible nuclear deal. Jared Kushner is already there, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi was expected to make his way on Saturday. Pakistan also continued its mediation efforts.