Deadly Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon have killed at least nine people, including two children, as fighting persists despite a two-week-old ceasefire. The Lebanese health ministry reported that the strikes targeted several villages, wounding dozens more, while Israel's military claimed it was responding to 'violations' by Hezbollah units operating near the border. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has formally criticized the escalation, calling for international pressure to stop the 'demolition of homes and places of worship' that continues despite the diplomatic truce.

The violence highlights the extreme fragility of the ceasefire, which was brokered in Washington without the direct involvement of Hezbollah leadership. While major strikes on Beirut have ceased, the border regions remain a 'Yellow Line' zone where both sides continue to engage in daily skirmishes. As Israel issues new evacuation warnings for southern villages, the risk of a return to full-scale conflict looms over the region, threatening to collapse the delicate diplomatic progress made in recent weeks.