Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least seven people on Saturday, including two children, despite reports that a ceasefire agreement had been reached between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the strikes hit the southern town of Nabatiyeh and surrounding villages, with at least seven more people trapped under rubble following the attacks.
A strike on the village of Barish killed four members of a single family, including two parents and their two children, while additional drone strikes killed a person on a motorcycle and a Lebanese soldier in nearby villages.
The persistent fighting followed a heavy exchange on Friday that killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers, prompting mediators to scramble for a halt to hostilities.
An Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting the military to begin targeting the militant group in response.
Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter said on X that Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if Hezbollah honors the agreement and ceases hostilities.
Hezbollah has publicly stated it will abide by a ceasefire if Israel does the same, but has stopped short of confirming that any deal is actually in place.
A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said Qatar, the United States, and Iran were actively working to broker a ceasefire but declined to confirm a final agreement had been reached.
The ongoing violence is now threatening the broader interim agreement signed between Washington and Tehran earlier this week, which had already reopened the Strait of Hormuz after Iran closed it as the conflict escalated, cutting off global energy supplies.
The U.S.-Iran deal also envisions the resumption of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, a central issue in the wider conflict, with planned negotiations in Switzerland delayed indefinitely after Iranian officials and U.S. Vice President JD Vance both canceled their travel.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the semi-official ISNA news agency that Pakistan’s interior minister would arrive in Iran as part of continued negotiation efforts, with consultations through mediators ongoing regarding the next phase of talks.
Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are signatories to the interim deal, which calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and for Lebanese sovereignty to be respected, leaving its core terms effectively unenforceable.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until all threats to Israel are eliminated, while Hezbollah has refused to halt attacks unless Israel commits to a full withdrawal.
Netanyahu posted on X that, on his orders, the Israeli army had “struck powerfully” 150 Hezbollah targets, killing dozens of militants, and military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin confirmed that Israeli forces were operating in a “forward defense zone” and would continue to do so.
The Switzerland talks were expected to center on Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes, though the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed Iran holds uranium enriched to levels that could be used to build multiple atomic bombs.
The interim deal gives negotiators 60 days to reach a nuclear agreement, with provisions for extension, and outlines significant incentives including the eventual lifting of all international sanctions and a $300 billion fund for postwar reconstruction.
Iran has already secured early concessions, including the lifting of a U.S. blockade on its ports and the right to sell oil freely, with the deal also calling for the unfreezing of Iranian assets, though the timeline for that remains unclear.
