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Israel launched heavy overnight air strikes on southern Lebanon, as US and Iranian delegations left talks in Islamabad without a deal after Tehran had pushed for a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of a comprehensive agreement.
At least 11 people were killed and several wounded in attacks on homes in Maaroub and Qana, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The attacks come as Israel reportedly agreed to hold back from launching strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs unless a specific threat materialised, co-ordinating any action with Washington as part of US efforts to prevent further escalation ahead of crucial talks with Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, in Islamabad.
The negotiations ended on Sunday morning, with no agreement. The Iranians said they had insisted on a halt to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where its ally Hezbollah is fighting Israel.
But a fragile two-week ceasefire still holds, with 10 days left for the US and Iran to strike a deal that could result in comprehensive peace after a 40-day war that engulfed the region.
Israeli forces also struck Kounin, Beflay, Qalaway, Aitit, Kherbet Selem, Haris and Kafra overnight, NNA said, as well as renewed attacks on Nabatieh, where large-scale strikes hit a government building on Friday, killing 13 Lebanese state security forces.
Families and friends of those killed gathered in Sidon on Saturday for their funeral. Draped in Lebanese flags and floral wreaths, the 13 were laid to rest as their families bid them an emotional farewell.
The attack on the government complex came ahead of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon scheduled at the US State Department on Tuesday. The first direct call between the states took place on Friday night between Yechiel Leiter, Israeli ambassador to the US, and Nada Moawad, Lebanese ambassador, with the participation of Michel Issa, US ambassador to Lebanon, to “discuss the announcement of a ceasefire and the date for starting negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under American sponsorship”.
Hezbollah said it attacked gatherings of Israeli troops and tanks in several towns in southern Lebanon on Saturday. The armed group said it launched attacks in Bint Jbeil, Khiam and Fatima Gate, a former border crossing between Lebanon and Israel. The NNA has also reported intense ground clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in Bint Jbeil, a strategic town for Israel, where its troops have failed to advance in their ground invasion.
While Hezbollah initially said it was committed to a ceasefire under the US-Iran truce, it persisted with attacks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Lebanon was excluded from the two-week ceasefire.
In an address, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the group's “resistance would continue until the last breath,” urging Lebanese officials to stop offering Israel “free concessions” ahead of Tuesday's talks.
His comments came after Israel launched more than 100 strikes across Lebanon in 10 minutes on what is now known as “Black Wednesday”. The attacks targeted densely populated residential neighbourhoods in central Beirut, killing more than 300 people and injuring at least 1,000. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun called it a “massacre”.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 2,020 people have been killed since Israeli attacks began on March 2.
The Lebanese government has announced the launch of a unified national framework for humanitarian assistance across the country as the fighting drags on.
Lebanon's Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayyed said the campaign, aimed at supporting displaced families outside government-provided shelters, “affirms that the state is present, leading the response with clarity, accountability and one national purpose: to protect people, uphold their dignity and rebuild trust”.
More than one million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes across the country.
The campaign includes a $10 million payment to support 80,000 affected families outside state-provided shelters across Lebanon, prioritising border towns and villages.
“It is a message of unity across all 10,452 square kilometres of Lebanon from north to south and a reminder that no priority stands above the national interest,” Ms Sayyed said. “This is our commitment as a government: to stand by our people and preserve Lebanon for all.”
