Israeli strikes kill 16 in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah reports fierce fighting
Fresh Israeli attacks came amid delayed US-Iran talks on ending the war, with tensions over Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon and clashes with Hezbollah remaining a key sticking point
Israel's military said on Friday (June 19) that its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported at least 16 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes. The attacks came as planned talks in Switzerland between Iran and the United States over their efforts to reach a permanent end to the Iran war were delayed.
Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon and its continued attacks on the Iranian-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah has been a key issue in the talks. Israel maintains it must continue to hold the territory and have a free hand to battle Hezbollah as it has been launching attacks into northern Israel.
Ealier, National News Agency said on Thursday that an Israeli drone strike targeted a car near the town of Kfar Tebnit, killing two people. In a separate attack in Zabadin, at least one person was killed, the agency reported.
Hezbollah said it had pushed back a four-day Israeli operation aimed at moving further into southern Lebanon. In a statement, the group said its fighters used drones, rockets and artillery to strike Israeli troops and tanks, preventing them from advancing towards Kfar Tebnit.
The attacks came as Israel faces mounting pressure to stop its operations in Lebanon and withdraw all occupying forces under the agreement linked to the US-Iran deal aimed at extending the ceasefire.
Trump said the US expected “a complete ceasefire on all fronts”, including between Israel and Hezbollah. “We encourage everyone in the Middle East region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold,” he wrote on social media.
Israel’s military on Thursday released a map showing what it described as the current deployment of its forces inside southern Lebanon, extending roughly 10km (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory along its “Yellow Line”, a framework comparable to the one used by the Israeli military in the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to maritime legal experts, the map extends not only into Lebanese territory on land but also into its maritime zone, which would breach the 2022 Lebanon-Israel maritime agreement if Israel were to occupy those waters. The area also includes Lebanon’s Qana gas project, whose exploration rights were specifically guaranteed to Beirut under the US-brokered maritime border deal signed with Israel in 2022.