Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have continued to accuse each other of launching attacks even after reaching a ceasefire agreement. Tehran insists that the ceasefire terms should include the situation in Lebanon. Due to the new developments in the Israel-Lebanon situation, the scheduled follow-up peace talks between the US and Iran, which were supposed to begin on Friday (June 19), have been affected and delayed.
According to reports from the Associated Press on June 19, Israeli and Hezbollah in Lebanon had agreed to a ceasefire starting at 4 pm local time on that same day. However, serious mutual attacks continued to erupt before and after the ceasefire agreement; Hezbollah’s nighttime assault resulted in the deaths of 4 Israeli soldiers, prompting the Israeli military to retaliate fiercely, causing at least 47 deaths and 97 injuries in Lebanon.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) also confirmed reports of ongoing shelling in the city of Nabatieh.
According to data released by the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the intensive aerial bombardment by Israel in various parts of Lebanon since midnight on Friday has resulted in at least 47 deaths and 97 injuries. Since the reignition of the Lebanon-Israel conflict on March 2, a total of 3,980 people have died, with over 12,000 injured.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Major General Effie Defrin, on Friday accused Hezbollah of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement, confirming that the Israeli military had struck over 80 Hezbollah targets as a result.
Israel stated that four Israeli soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in an attack near a village in Nabatieh, with five others injured in a drone attack.
Hezbollah acknowledged targeting Israeli tanks, stating that it was in response to Israel’s initial violation of the ceasefire – Israeli forces attempting to occupy the strategic Ali Taher peak overlooking Nabatieh.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the military had been instructed to strike 150 Hezbollah targets and warned that Hezbollah would pay a “heavy price” for attacking Israeli soldiers.
Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, emphasized on social media that if Hezbollah complies with the agreement to cease hostilities, Israel will “immediately and firmly cease fire.”
The escalation of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon has directly affected the first round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled to take place in Switzerland.
According to reports citing officials from the Middle East and Iran, Iran insists on resuming negotiations only after the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. Several Iranian officials have not traveled to Switzerland as planned, and US Vice President JD Vance has canceled the trip as well.
The US-Iran talks aim to reach a permanent agreement to end the war with Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that parties are currently being mediated for discussions in the coming days. The ceasefire mediation efforts are jointly led by Qatar, the US, and Iran.
The current core disagreement lies in Israel’s steadfast refusal to withdraw from southern Lebanon and its desire to establish a Hezbollah-free security buffer zone along the border; whereas Hezbollah and Iran insist on Israel’s withdrawal as a ceasefire prerequisite.
Meanwhile, a large number of people in southern Lebanon are being forced to flee. Resident Mustafa Zain, leaving with his six daughters, told the Associated Press, “The situation is chaotic right now, we cannot stay.”