At least 29 killed in new wave of Israeli attacks across Lebanon

At least 29 people have been killed in the latest round of Israeli aggression on Lebanon, affecting southern Lebanon and the eastern Beqaa Valley, only one day after a ceasefire was declared.

Lebanon’s civil defense agency reported that a series of Israeli strikes in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon on Saturday resulted in 16 fatalities and left 12 others injured.

The agency added that its personnel have been engaged since dawn in responding to the ongoing assaults.

An Israeli airstrike on the village of Barish, located in the coastal city of Tyre resulted in the deaths of four family members, which Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) characterized as a "massacre."

Additionally, the NNA noted that at least seven people were killed and 13 others injured in an Israeli attack on a village near the southern city of Sidon.

Another individual was killed in the municipality of Shahour, located in the Tyre district, while one fatality occurred in the town of Sohmor, situated in the western Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon.

In a statement released on the social media platform X, the Lebanese army reported that one of its officers had died due to an Israeli airstrike on the Kfar Rumman-Nabatieh road.

The army asserted, "It has become evident that the ongoing brutal Israeli assaults are intended to hinder any resolution that would facilitate the restoration of stability in Lebanon."

In response, the Israeli army stated that it was targeting Hezbollah following projectile attacks on Israeli forces stationed in southern Lebanon during the night.

Hezbollah stated that its fighters engaged Israeli forces overnight as they attempted to infiltrate strategic hills overlooking Nabatieh.

Hezbollah's statement noted, "Once again, under the guise of the ceasefire, the enemy attempted to infiltrate the Ali Taher hills last night," adding that its fighters ambushed the Israeli troops and "confronted them with appropriate weaponry."

Additionally, Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the Lebanese parliament associated with Hezbollah's political wing, said  on Saturday that the group possessed the "full right" to retaliate against Israeli assaults, asserting that any ceasefire would be "meaningless" as long as Israel continued to occupy Lebanese land.

He emphasized that Israel must fully adhere to the ceasefire agreement by abstaining from attacks on Lebanese territory or seizing new positions.

"The resistance has the complete right to confront this enemy when it assaults us, as it is the aggressor and the occupier," he concluded.

Meanwhile, the medical group Doctors Without Borders has stated that the situation in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon, currently facing continuous Israeli assaults, is akin to a "death trap".

Since midnight on Friday, Israel has intensified its attacks on Nabatieh and various other areas in southern Lebanon, coinciding with upcoming discussions in Switzerland between the United States and Iran aimed at finalizing an interim peace agreement.

At least 50 individuals have lost their lives in the recent assaults, including a soldier, according to Lebanese health officials.

The aid organization, commonly referred to by its French acronym MSF, reported that it is addressing an influx of victims from the attacks in Nabatieh, which includes paramedics injured during rescue operations.

The charity also cautioned that responders have been unable to evacuate many additional individuals trapped under intense shelling in the region due to the danger of coming under fire.

"Individuals are arriving with severe head traumas, significant bleeding, shrapnel wounds, and requiring amputations," stated Pierre Boulet-Desbareau, the MSF emergency coordinator in Lebanon.

"The current situation in Nabatiyeh is catastrophic. What our teams are witnessing resembles a death trap. People are ensnared under heavy bombardment, while rescue teams cannot safely access them," he remarked. "Civilians and first responders must be safeguarded, and immediate, unhindered access for rescue teams is critically necessary."

The Israeli military announced that it commenced strikes on multiple targets in southern Lebanon following a Hezbollah attack that resulted in the deaths of four soldiers. Despite US President Donald Trump declaring late on Friday that Israel had consented to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israel persisted in its attacks on southern Lebanon into Saturday.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that Israeli military planes and drones executed multiple strikes throughout Nabatieh during the night and into Saturday morning, resulting in the destruction of residential buildings and homes.

On Wednesday evening, Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian electronically signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which aims to end the war in the region.

Nevertheless, members of the Israeli cabinet, particularly those from the far-right, have dismissed the notion of linking the Iran agreement to the cessation of military attacks in Lebanon or making any security concessions, insisting on the continuation of Israel’s military presence in southern Lebanon.

Under the terms of the memorandum, Washington and Tehran are anticipated to engage in negotiations for a duration of 60 days, with the potential for an extension, in an effort to finalize an agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program and international sanctions.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk