Israeli Strikes Hit Southern and Eastern Lebanon
Israeli military operations targeted multiple locations in southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, following a deadly raid the previous day that resulted in 11 fatalities. These strikes occurred despite an existing ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict and reports of a potential peace agreement between the United States and Iran.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the strike on Saturday in Sir al-Gharbiyeh led to a
"massacre whose final toll is 11 dead including a child and six women, and nine wounded including four children and a woman,"highlighting the severe human cost of the attack.
Israel has maintained its campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon despite the ceasefire that began on 17 April and was recently extended for several weeks. Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, has also continued its offensive actions, including rocket attacks on Israeli forces operating within Lebanese territory on Sunday.
Details of Sunday’s Strikes and Evacuations
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Israeli strikes across various sites in southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, with some attacks causing casualties. Several of these raids preceded Israeli military evacuation warnings affecting over a dozen villages in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa valley.
An AFP correspondent observed significant smoke plumes following strikes in Nabatieh and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, both located in southern Lebanon. Additionally, Lebanon’s civil defence agency confirmed that its regional facility in Nabatieh was destroyed by an overnight Israeli strike.
AFP photographers documented civil defence personnel retrieving equipment and removing oxygen bottles from the rubble using stretchers, underscoring the damage inflicted on emergency response infrastructure.
Regional Developments and Political Statements
Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah lawmaker recently sanctioned by the United States, commented on the evolving situation in the region, stating on Sunday that
"major transformations are taking place in the region,"amid expectations of a US-Iranian agreement aimed at ending the Middle East conflict.
He added that
"Iran has made its agreement with the United States conditional on stopping the war in Lebanon,"according to an official statement.
On Saturday, Hezbollah announced that its deputy leader, Naim Qassem, had received a message from Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi. The message conveyed Iran’s latest proposal, delivered through Pakistani mediators, which emphasized
"the demand to include Lebanon"in the broader ceasefire framework.
Fadlallah further stated,
"the war will not just stop in Iran, but across the whole region, particularly in Lebanon,"and urged Lebanese authorities to
"take advantage of this regional umbrella ... which will have repercussions on us."
Diplomatic Efforts and Military Context
Lebanese officials have recently initiated direct negotiations with Israel under US facilitation, insisting that these discussions remain separate from the ongoing Iran-US talks.
Hezbollah’s involvement escalated the Middle East conflict on 2 March when it launched rocket attacks against Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.
The ceasefire terms published by Washington allow Israel to respond to
"planned, imminent or ongoing attacks."Israeli forces that entered Lebanon are operating within a self-declared "yellow line," approximately six miles (10 kilometers) deep along Lebanon’s southern border.
