Amid ongoing Iran-US peace talks, fresh Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon were launched on Friday, killing at least 16 people. Israel's military said its forces carried out strikes across southern Lebanon overnight, while Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the region, raising concerns over the fragile agreement between Iran and the United States.
According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA), at least 16 people were killed in the Israeli airstrikes, which the Israeli military said were still ongoing. The escalation in Lebanon threatens to undermine the newly signed agreement, which calls for an immediate halt to military operations "on all fronts, including in Lebanon", where Israel has been fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, and seeks to ensure Lebanon's "territorial integrity and sovereignty".
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to pull back troops, insisting that Israeli forces will remain in Lebanon until the threat posed by Hezbollah is eliminated.
Local residents reported that Israeli airstrikes and shelling targeted several towns in the Nabatieh district overnight and continued into early Friday. According to news agency Reuters, the NNA is describing the bombardment as among the heaviest seen in recent weeks.
The Israeli military said it had struck what it described as Hezbollah militants and infrastructure at multiple locations in southern Lebanon, claiming the operations were carried out in response to repeated violations of the ceasefire by the Iran-backed group.
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Washington-Tehran Officials to Meet in Switzerland Today
After 107 days of conflict in the Middle East, the United States and Iran are set to hold historic peace talks on Friday at the Burgenstock Resort in Switzerland. The venue has been selected for the formal signing of the US-Iran agreement aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and opening a new chapter of diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
US President Donald Trump formally signed the agreement during the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. The deal is expected to pave the way for the reopening of the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump signed a 14-point preliminary draft of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) alongside French President Emmanuel Macron during a dinner at the Palace of Versailles in France.
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The 14-point agreement states that Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon and includes provisions for a 300 billion dollars fund for the country's "reconstruction and economic development", although the United States is not required to contribute financially. The agreement comes four months after the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel erupted.