The Israeli military launched fresh airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Friday, as renewed fighting with the Hezbollah militia threatened to derail diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war.
Airstrikes were carried out overnight and on Friday morning on positions of the Shiite Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
According to the Ministry of Health in Beirut, 18 people were killed and 33 injured on the Lebanese side. Eight of those killed were members of the same family, the ministry said.
It also said on Friday afternoon that an Israeli airstrike on the town of Ain Bourday in the Baalbek district in eastern Lebanon resulted in a preliminary toll of three people killed and six wounded.
According to Lebanese security sources, the town of Kfar Tebnit, near Nabatiyeh, was among the locations hit by several airstrikes. Fighting reportedly took place there around a strategically important hilltop.
The Israeli military stated on X that the strikes followed Hezbollah rocket fire targeting Israeli soldiers. According to military reports, four Israeli soldiers were killed. Four others were injured in a drone attack.
Hezbollah issued a statement on Friday denying claims it had violated the ceasefire.
None of the claims by either side could be independently verified.
Netanyahu accuses Hezbollah of violating ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he had "instructed the IDF last night to strike Hezbollah with full force," citing an "outrageous attack" by the militia.
In a post on X, Netanyahu described the Hezbollah attack as "a blatant violation of the ceasefire."
"Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks," he wrote.
Framework agreement calls for an end to violence
Iran and the United States reached a bilateral framework agreement this week that provides for a comprehensive end to military conflicts in the region.
In the 60 days following the agreement, negotiators are to work towards a final deal that brings about a lasting end to the war in Iran, which was launched by the US and Israel at the end of February.
Shortly after the war began, Hezbollah - Tehran's most important regional ally - launched attacks on Israel in support of Iran. Mutual attacks and an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon have continued since, with the Lebanon front repeatedly becoming a flashpoint in efforts to bring the conflict to an end.
While the framework agreement between Iran and the US includes an end to the fighting in Lebanon, it does not contain an explicit clause requiring the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.
On Friday, Netanyahu described the "security zone" established by the Israeli military in southern Lebanon as a barrier between the Hezbollah militia and citizens and communities in northern Israel.
He said Israel would not withdraw as long as its security needs required its presence there.
The Lebanese government, however, considers the area controlled by Israel to be Lebanese territory under unlawful occupation in violation of international law.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the ongoing Israeli escalation, saying: "What we are witnessing today in the south and the Bekaa Valley - the expansion of Israeli attacks and the increased killing and destruction -constitutes a dangerous and reprehensible escalation."
He said the Israeli action "undermines all ongoing efforts to solidify the ceasefire and end the war."
Switzerland talks called off
US and Iranian representatives, along with mediators Qatar and Pakistan, had originally been expected to meet in Switzerland on Friday to start a new round of talks on the details of the framework agreement, but the trip was called off at the last minute.
Sources close to Hezbollah said Iranian officials had informed the movement that the Iranian team postponed their trip to Geneva because of the continuing Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon.
The sources said Tehran warned that it would not remain idle in the face of the ongoing military campaign in southern Lebanon.
Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanese television channel close to Iran and Hezbollah, also reported that Iran's negotiating delegation suspended the planned trip to Switzerland citing the continued strikes.
According to the report, Tehran informed mediators that developments in Lebanon remained a central issue in the diplomatic process and warned that continued Israeli operations could jeopardize the broader agreement.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told al-Mayadeen on Thursday that Iran had insisted on including Lebanon in the negotiations and had delayed progress until provisions addressing the conflict in Lebanon were incorporated.
He said the understanding included commitments to an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, an end to hostilities and respect for Lebanon's territorial integrity.
