BEIRUT — Israel on Friday carried out a wave of deadly strikes across Lebanon in response to a Hezbollah attack that killed four soldiers in Lebanon despite the US-Iran agreement declaring an end to the conflict on all fronts.
The Israeli military said it had struck 80 targets linked to the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah and killed “dozens” of its members.
At least 18 people have been killed in southern Lebanon following Israeli air strikes overnight, the country’s health ministry said while the Israeli military says four of its soldiers were also killed.
It comes a day after the US and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, including a permanent cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.
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.
The US-Iran deal calls for an end to hostilities on all fronts, and for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty to be respected.
However, Israel has said 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.
Lebanon’s 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.
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.
Hezbollah has vowed to continue with its attacks as long as the invasion persists.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin 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 criticized Israel’s conduct in Lebanon.
Responding to the deaths of the four soldiers on Friday, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that “all of Lebanon must burn”.
“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.
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.
The US-Iran agreement signed on Thursday commits both sides to pursuing a final settlement within 60 days, a deadline that can be extended by mutual agreement.
A new round of direct talks scheduled for Friday was delayed after US Vice President JD Vance cancelled his planned trip to Switzerland to attend them.
On Friday, a diplomat with knowledge of the matter told CNN that Iran asked for guarantees that hostilities in Lebanon will end before it resumes talks with the US.
“The principal spoiler of any broader understanding with Iran remains Lebanon,” wrote Danny Citrinowitz, former head of the Iran branch of Israel’s military intelligence, adding that “the central question is how far the United States is prepared to go in enforcing a ceasefire that both sides interpret differently.”
Trump also said on social media this week that as part of the deal, “we expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.” But Netanyahu has previously made it clear he has no plans to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Vance has grown increasingly impatient with Israel, saying: “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.”
Vance criticized the attitude of some members of Netanyahu’s cabinet towards the deal, saying they should “wake up and smell reality”.
Vance named Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as critics of the deal in an interview with the New York Times.
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.”
Netanyahu himself stressed the importance of maintaining Israel’s close ties with the US on Thursday, saying Washington had stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the country during the war with Iran.
However, that relationship has become strained of late, with leaks suggesting Trump has on several occasions vented his frustration with Netanyahu during phone conversations between the two leaders.
Source: Saudi Gazette