Israel kills at least 29 in Lebanon, one day after ceasefire deal

What Happened

On Saturday, Israel launched a new wave of attacks across southern Lebanon and the eastern Beqaa Valley, killing at least 29 people, one day after a US- and Qatar-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced. Lebanon's civil defence agency reported that strikes on the Nabatieh district killed 16 and wounded 12. An Israeli attack on the village of Barish in Tyre killed four members of the same family, described by Lebanon's National News Agency as a 'massacre'. Near Sidon, seven were killed and 13 injured in another strike. Additional fatalities included one in Shahour municipality, one in Sohmor in the western Bekaa, and a Lebanese army officer killed in an airstrike on the Kfar Rumman-Nabatieh road. The Lebanese army said the continued attacks 'aim to obstruct any solution that would allow for the restoration of stability'. The Israeli military stated it struck Hezbollah targets in response to overnight projectile attacks on its troops in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said its fighters ambushed Israeli forces attempting to infiltrate the Ali Taher hills overlooking Nabatieh, confronting them with 'appropriate weapons'. Hezbollah-affiliated MP Hassan Fadlallah asserted the group's 'full right' to respond and called the ceasefire meaningless while Israel occupies Lebanese territory. The violence follows a fragile ceasefire signed Friday, already undermined by Israeli strikes that killed 18 people that day. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the US-Iran memorandum of understanding 'bad for Israel', while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir declared: 'Trump's agreement does not bind us.' US President Donald Trump criticised Israeli actions as disproportionate, while Iran warned of 'serious and immediate' consequences if Israel continues its war-making.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The immediate collapse of a freshly signed ceasefire threatens to escalate cross-border violence into a wider regional war. It complicates US-Iran diplomatic efforts, exposes rifts between Israel and its principal ally, and emboldens hardliners on both sides. The strikes risk drawing Israel deeper into a grinding confrontation in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah's potential large-scale response could destabilise the volatile Syria-Lebanon-Israel frontier and derail broader de-escalation talks.

Watch For

Monitor whether the postponed US-Iran follow-up talks in Switzerland are rescheduled and what conditions Iran sets for continued diplomacy. Hezbollah’s promised retaliation could trigger a new cycle of strikes; watch the Ali Taher hills and the Nabatieh area for Israeli ground incursions. Israeli cabinet dynamics, particularly statements from Smotrich and Ben Gvir, may signal whether Israel will formally abandon the ceasefire. Also observe Lebanon’s political reaction and any emergency UN Security Council convening.