Israeli airstrikes struck southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, even though a ceasefire was in place, while Hezbollah’s leader voiced optimism that an Iran‑U.S. agreement could bring an end to the regional war that encompasses Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that the death toll since March 2 has risen to 3,123.
The ministry stated that two individuals, one a paramedic with the Hezbollah‑linked Islamic Health Committee, were killed in Israeli raids on Sunday.
A day earlier, a single strike in Sir al‑Gharbiyeh in the south killed 11 people, including six women and a child, which the ministry described as a “massacre.”
Israel’s military has continued to target what it claims are Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, even though a ceasefire that began on April 17 was recently extended for several weeks.
The Iran‑backed group has also kept up attacks on Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon and on targets across the border, reporting more than 20 separate attacks on Sunday involving rockets, drones and artillery.
Iran has signaled that a Washington‑Iran agreement to halt the regional conflict would involve Lebanon, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that President Donald Trump reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against threats on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir stated that the army continues to strike Hezbollah on all fronts, emphasizing that the security of civilians and the safety of its forces remain paramount.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that Israeli airstrikes hit more than 30 locations in southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, resulting in casualties in some cases.
AFP correspondents observed large plumes of smoke rising from several strike sites.
The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for over a dozen villages in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Lebanon’s civil defence agency said its regional facility in Nabatieh was destroyed in an overnight Israeli strike.
An AFP photographer witnessed civil defence personnel retrieving equipment from the rubble.
Israel’s military declined to comment on the strike when approached by AFP’s Jerusalem bureau.
He warned that betrayal would be unacceptable.
Hezbollah Secretary‑General Naim Qassem said that, God willing, an agreement between the United States and Iran will be finalized, and that Hezbollah will be included in a complete cessation of hostilities.
He reiterated his group’s refusal to engage in direct talks with Israel and Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities have initiated landmark direct talks with Israel under U.S. auspices and are preparing for a fourth round in early June, following a military delegation meeting at the Pentagon on May 29.
Qassem warned, “Abandon direct negotiations; do not be complicit with them and betray us.”
He added that disarmament would amount to annihilation and that Israel and its people face an existential threat.
He declared that Israel will not bow, even if the entire world opposes them.
Following Qassem’s speech, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Hezbollah of attempting to plunge Lebanon back into chaos.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
According to the ceasefire terms published by Washington, Israel reserves the right to act against any planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.
Israeli forces that entered Lebanon are also operating within an Israeli‑designated “yellow line” that extends about 10 km (six miles) into Lebanese territory along the southern border.
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