(Photo credit: X)The Crade
Israel continued to brutally bombard south Lebanon on the afternoon of 19 June, following the announcement of a ceasefire which was supposed to begin at 4:00 pm.
Strikes continued on Nabatieh and several other areas after the so-called truce was meant to have started.
At least 11 towns and villages were hit, with some being struck by Israeli aerial attacks multiple times.
Earlier, a Gulf diplomat told AFP that Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a ceasefire.
“Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to halt hostilities in a deal mediated by Qatar, the US, and Iran,” the diplomat said. US officials cited by Reuters and other outlets said the same thing.
Hezbollah has yet to officially comment on the truce.
According to Lebanese media outlet Al Jadeed, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has insisted on the need for a clear US statement that includes an Israeli commitment to a ceasefire before Hezbollah announces its position.
Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported, citing an Israeli official, that Israel is “currently committed” to the ceasefire.
However, it said the army will maintain its occupation of south Lebanon. It added that Tel Aviv will respond if its occupation forces are targeted by Hezbollah.
“Any Israeli move outside the framework of a comprehensive ceasefire will be met with a response,” a Hezbollah leadership source was cited as saying by Al Jazeera.
As south Lebanon remained under heavy bombardment past 4:00 pm, drone sirens sounded in Zarit, in the Upper Galilee.
A US official cited by Reuters had said Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire starting at 4:00 pm local time.
Lebanon has been under intensified Israeli bombardment over the last 24 hours.
Tel Aviv has expressed major concerns over the new US–Iran agreement and its clause on Lebanon. It is demanding continued freedom of action to strike at will and maintain a presence of occupation forces in the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war minister have vowed that troops will remain in Lebanon.
The intensification of strikes in recent hours follows a Hezbollah resistance operation which killed four Israeli troops in south Lebanon overnight.
At least 47 people in Lebanon have been killed since Thursday evening. Nearly 100 others have been injured.
At least 3,980 people have been killed and 12,011 injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since 2 March, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Due to the latest brutal strikes on Lebanon, Iran–US technical negotiations scheduled for Friday in Geneva were postponed.
Iran has repeatedly warned that continued Israeli violations in Lebanon will be met with harsh retaliation.
Earlier this month, Tehran launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel in response to a strike on Beirut.
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The Most Revolutionary Act 