Five killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes, says Lebanon

Lebanese state media said five people were killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, despite a new ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group announced a day earlier.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli strikes hit more than a dozen locations in the south overnight into Saturday morning, including areas around Nabatieh.

According to the report, three people were killed in Arab Salim, one in Deir Zahrani, and another in a drone strike targeting a motorbike at the entrance of Dweir.

The agency also reported artillery shelling in and around Nabatieh City, where fighting has intensified in recent days.

The strikes came even as a US official told AFP that a truce had been brokered by US and Qatari mediators following talks involving Israel and Iran, with a Gulf diplomat also confirming the ceasefire.

However, Israel’s ambassador to the United States said the country would observe the ceasefire only if Hezbollah also complied, raising doubts over its implementation.

Previous ceasefire announcements have failed to halt cross-border violence, and both sides have continued to exchange fire despite diplomatic efforts.