Israeli Strikes Kill 14 in Lebanon Amid Ongoing Ceasefire

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that Israeli airstrikes on Sunday caused 14 deaths, including two children and two women, alongside 37 injuries. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had earlier issued evacuation warnings for multiple southern Lebanon villages, urging residents to leave immediately and stating that staying behind could “endanger their life.” Following the alerts, the IDF conducted “artillery and aerial strikes” against Hezbollah positions and infrastructure, asserting that these targets were used to “advance attacks against IDF soldiers.”

Hezbollah retaliated by launching three drones toward Israel, which the IDF confirmed were intercepted by the air force before reaching the border. Separately, a Hezbollah drone strike in Lebanon killed a 19-year-old IDF soldier and wounded six others. The semi-permanent ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, established on 16 April and extended by three weeks last Thursday, remains fragile. Under the agreement, Israel retains its right to take “all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”

“We are acting vigorously according to the rules we agreed upon with the United States, and incidentally, with Lebanon as well. This means freedom of action, not only to respond to attacks, which is obvious, but to thwart immediate threats and also to neutralise emerging threats,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu emphasized that the IDF is “active” in Lebanon, with operations aimed at “disintegrating the ceasefire.” The recent strikes followed overnight attacks on Hezbollah “military structures,” as the IDF accused the Iran-backed group of launching two explosive UAVs toward Israel. Since the ceasefire began, both sides have exchanged accusations of violations, with Israel claiming Hezbollah initiated attacks and Hezbollah countering that Israel breached the terms.

On Saturday, Netanyahu ordered the military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets,” resulting in at least six casualties in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, returned to Pakistan on Sunday to present Tehran’s approach for resuming peace talks with Washington. Trump had previously extended the ceasefire, originally set to end on 22 April, to allow negotiations to continue. Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad included discussions with Pakistani mediators, while Trump canceled a planned trip by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the same location after Araghchi left for Oman.

Araghchi is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, following his statements that Tehran had “yet to see” if Washington was committed to diplomatic efforts. The U.S. had claimed Iran sought dialogue but insisted no direct talks with the U.S. were scheduled. As the ceasefire holds, both nations continue to test its durability through military actions and political maneuvering.