18 Killed in Lebanon as Israeli Strikes Follow Soldier Deaths
The latest Lebanon strikes killed 18 people in southern Lebanon on Friday while four Israeli soldiers died in combat with Hezbollah, escalating violence days after a US-Iran deal aimed at ending regional hostilities.
Latest Strikes and Casualties
Lebanese health ministry reported 18 killed and 33 wounded in strikes across at least 10 villages and towns in southern Lebanon, including the Nabatieh area. [1] The IDF said it struck more than 80 targets including command centres, launch positions and infrastructure, eliminating dozens of Hezbollah members. [1] Lebanese state news agency described the overnight bombardment across the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon on Thursday as one of the most intense of the war, with at least 18 killed, 33 injured and several buildings hit. [4] Israel's military said it hit scores of targets overnight and into the morning. [1] The Lebanese health ministry said the "intensive" strikes "resulted in a preliminary toll of 18 martyrs and 33 wounded" in at least 10 villages and towns. [1] Israel's military announced that Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon had "fallen in combat" along with three other soldiers whom it did not immediately identify. [1] A military official said the incident involved an impact from "a suspicious target" on an Israeli tank, with Israeli military correspondents reporting it had been hit by "a suspected drone or anti-tank missile". [1] In a separate statement the military also reported that a reserve officer was severely wounded "as a result of an explosive drone impact in southern Lebanon", with four other soldiers lightly injured. [1] Hezbollah reported ambushing Israeli forces near Nabatieh with rockets, mortar shells and anti-tank missiles, destroying tanks and causing the soldier deaths. [1] Hezbollah said it had ambushed an Israeli group in southern Lebanon, destroying three tanks with guided missiles, and targeting troops with rocket and artillery fire. [4] The clashes occurred despite a US-Iran agreement signed this week calling for cessation of hostilities across fronts including Lebanon, leading to postponement of follow-up talks in Switzerland. [2]
Israeli Military and Political Response
The IDF said it struck more than 80 targets including command centres, launch positions and infrastructure, eliminating dozens of Hezbollah members. [1] Israeli officials including Prime Minister Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir vowed a heavy response, with Ben-Gvir stating 'all of Lebanon must burn'. [1] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, that Israeli troops will stay in Lebanon "as long as necessary", as he vowed to make Iran-backed Hezbollah pay a "heavy price" for its attacks. [1] "Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks," Netanyahu said in a statement. [1] "Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary for the protection of the communities of the north." [1] Defence Minister Israel Katz had also said the military would stay in Lebanon, adding it would respond "with considerable force" to any attack. [1] Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that "all of Lebanon must burn" following the deaths of the four soldiers. [4] "With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not up for bargaining," he said in a statement. [4] "For every tear shed by an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep," he added. [1] Netanyahu is under domestic pressure to continue military operations against the armed group, which could put him on a collision course with US President Donald Trump, who has publicly criticised Israel's conduct in Lebanon. [4] Israel insists it has no intention of withdrawing its forces from Lebanon and has insisted that its conflict with Hezbollah is separate from the war on Iran. [2]
Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon villages, killing 18 and wounding 33. — Source: clarin
Hezbollah Actions and Claims
Hezbollah reported ambushing Israeli forces near Nabatieh with rockets, mortar shells and anti-tank missiles, destroying tanks and causing the soldier deaths. [1] Hezbollah said early Friday that it had targeted Israeli troops "with a barrage of rockets and mortar shells" near the Ali al-Taher hills, a strategic feature overlooking Nabatieh. [1] It had also reported attacking Israeli tanks, saying forces "consisting of an armoured platoon and an infantry platoon (tried) to infiltrate towards the northern side of the Ali al-Taher hills". [1] "The clashes are still ongoing," it said. [1] Hezbollah has vowed to continue with its attacks as long as the invasion persists. [4] Hezbollah has promised to continue with its attacks while the occupation lasts. [2] Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in early March by attacking Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader at the start of the US-Israeli military campaign. [1]
Impact on US-Iran Agreement
The clashes occurred despite a US-Iran agreement signed this week calling for cessation of hostilities across fronts including Lebanon, leading to postponement of follow-up talks in Switzerland. [2] The recrudescence of hostilities has delayed the "technical" talks planned in Switzerland between the United States and Iran to try to reach a definitive solution to the war. [2] Tehran refused to deploy its team due to the ongoing Israeli attacks against Lebanon. [2] The vice president JD Vance was prepared to make a night flight on Thursday night to meet his Iranian counterparts on Friday at a mountain resort in the small Swiss town of Obbürgen and begin the technical talks. [2] His team and a small group of journalists had gathered at Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington, in anticipation of the trip. [2] Dozens of White House officials, advance staff members and more media gathered in Switzerland to prepare for Vance's planned arrival. [2] Then, on Thursday night, the trip was abruptly cancelled, at least for the moment. [2] The White House issued a statement explaining that Vance, whom President Donald Trump had designated to lead the negotiations, and his delegation were prepared for the talks, but could not finalize the plans and the vice president would remain in Washington. [2] "The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable," the statement said. [2] The announcement came after a report from Al-Mayadeen, a satellite television channel politically allied with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, backed by Iran, according to which Iran was delaying the sending of its delegation to Switzerland due to the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Lebanon. [2] Both Israel and Hezbollah have carried out strikes against each other since the agreement was announced, raising questions about the future of the truce between the US and Iran. [4]
Broader Conflict Context
Lebanon was drawn into the war between Israel, the US and Iran shortly after it began, with Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. [4] Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and occupying around 5% of the country's territory in the south, with the aim of driving back Hezbollah fighters from its northern border. [4] Israel retaliated with broad strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion in the south, which borders Israel and has long been under Hezbollah's sway. [1] Overall conflict toll in Lebanon stands at 3,912 dead including women and children, 11,699 wounded, around one million displaced and dozens of southern communities destroyed. [1] According to the Ministry of Health of Lebanon, at least 3,912 people have died, including women and children, and another 11,699 have been wounded since the start of the latest conflict. [2] Around a million people remain displaced, while dozens of communities in the south have been completely destroyed. [4] Other Israeli strikes targeted the Baalbek region in the east of the country, which had been largely spared since the start of the conflict on 2 March. [1] Israel said its strikes in Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley were in response to "repeated violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah", which it said "continues to prepare and carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers". [1]
International Reactions
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Friday that Israel must "respect" the deal and urged the US to put pressure on the Israeli government. [4] The US-Iran deal calls for an end to hostilities on all fronts, and for Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty to be respected. [4] US officials including president Donald Trump have expressed frustration at Israel's campaign in Lebanon, which it has pursued in spite of US negotiations with Iran and a separate ceasefire agreed in April that was meant to halt the fighting there. [1] Vance previously criticised the attitude of some members of Netanyahu's cabinet towards the deal, saying they should "wake up and smell reality". [4] "If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world," he told reporters. [4] Vance named Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as critics of the deal in an interview with the New York Times. [4] He said: "I guess my response to them would be - what is your exact proposal? You're a country of nine million people. You can't just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have." [4] US officials have previously said that, while Lebanon was covered by the ceasefire framework, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory was not a condition of the deal and that Israel would retain the right to self-defence. [4]
What to watch next: The US-Iran agreement signed on Thursday includes provisions on Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief and commits both sides to pursuing a final settlement within 60 days, a deadline that can be extended by mutual agreement.
