Israel continues to attack Lebanon despite agreeing to a ceasefire | Israel attacks Lebanon News

Israel continues to attack Lebanon in the wake of Hezbollah’s latest defeat, prompting fears that Tel Aviv is trying to derail a deal that has been inconsistent with many efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East.

On Friday, US and Gulf officials and diplomats separately told news agencies that the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire starting at 4pm local time (1300GMT).

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Despite the ceasefire, at least 12 Israeli planes and continuous shelling hit southern Lebanon after the deadline, according to reports from the ground.

Israel and Hezbollah have reportedly “agreed to end violence” after Qatar, the United States and Iran scrapped the deal, a Gulf diplomat told AFP, asking not to be named to discuss sensitive issues. He said the ceasefire was aimed at preventing escalation in Lebanon from undermining efforts to transform the US-Iran deal into a regional peace agreement.

Israeli soldiers killed at least 47 people and injured 97 others in the attacks in Lebanon that began at midnight and continued on Friday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Shortly before the end of the war, a United States official said that the agreement was reached through the cooperation of the US and Qatari, with the help of Iran. “We understand that after today’s exchange of fire, Israel and Hezbollah are now ending,” the official told Reuters.

A Hezbollah official told Al Jazeera that a ceasefire would be implemented if Israel complied. An Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters. “If Hezbollah does not attack us, then for us it is not a time for war,” the Israeli official said.

But Israel’s threats continued immediately, leaving residents of southern Lebanon questioning whether the suspension had any meaning.

“It doesn’t feel like the end,” said Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett, returning from Tire in Lebanon after the Israeli attack.

“Instead, there is a feeling of deja vu. Every time they announce a ceasefire, we see a massive explosion of war on the ground.

“This has left a lot of people here questioning what the ceasefire means,” Pett added.

Israel-Lebanon talks

The next round of talks between Lebanon and Israel will take place in Washington from June 23 to 25, the US State Department said on Friday.

The announcement came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Aoun said a “complete cessation of hostilities” should be a “key basis” for any direct talks with Israel. The Lebanese president also thanked Rubio for the “support of the United States in Lebanon”, according to his office.

The Secretary General of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Qassem however spoke sarcastically on Friday, condemning “Israel’s war of terror in Lebanon, which ignores all laws to kill civilians and children, destroy property, and commit any atrocities, all in order to force resistance to its knees.”

Qassem said “the mission to eliminate Hezbollah and consolidate the occupation has failed, and Israel will leave every part of our country.”

He also accused Israel and the US of backing away from a ceasefire deal after the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, believing the forces had shifted in their favour.

At the UN, Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric received reports of a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Turning to Lebanon, I tell you that, of course, we are aware of reports that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to end the war, and we welcome such events,” said Dujarric.

“We continue to call on the parties to cease hostilities, respect existing ceasefires, and pursue dialogue as the only way to achieve long-term security and stability on both sides of the Blue Line,” he added.

Negotiations on the US-Iran MoU

Separately, Pakistan and Iran said they were deeply concerned about Lebanon, including violations of the ceasefire. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan said that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, discussed the matter with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over the phone.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Araghchi emphasized that the US has the responsibility to end the war in all areas, including Lebanon, warning that any violation of the commitments mentioned in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed this week will fall on Washington and may have consequences.

Discussions between US and Iran MoU talks were suspended on Friday after heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, officials said.

Iranian officials did not go as planned to Switzerland, insisting that the war in Lebanon must be stopped before the talks, three local officials and a fourth person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press.

US Vice President JD Vance also canceled his visit.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Friday that important talks are being held through mediators, and if the prerequisites for starting talks are met, an official announcement will be made.

Israel wants ‘endless war’

Earlier, Araghchi, said that Israel’s interest is an “unending war”.

He responded on X to the Minister of Defense of Israel, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who called for Lebanon to be “burned” after the killing of four Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.

Araghchi said that Ben-Gvir’s comments “were not the words of a madman who committed random murders” but “the public responsibility of Israel’s national security minister”.

Araghchi wrote: “The genocidal sect with its headquarters in Tel Aviv is threatening all people. It is threatening all people. Its goal is perpetual war.

Ben-Gvir prompted the massive increase after the Israeli army announced the death of four soldiers in the conflict.

“With all due respect to the American people, Israel must explain to the whole world that the blood of our children and the safety of our citizens will not be lost. The whole of Lebanon must burn,” wrote Ben-Gvir on X at the beginning of the day.

He also said that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “even in our private meetings” that “for every tear of an Israeli woman, a thousand Lebanese women must cry”.

“Enough is ping-pong. In the Middle East, you don’t win with measured responses and restraint – you have to go hard. Eradicate. Eliminate fear,” said Ben-Gvir.