Israel Strikes Lebanon During Ceasefire, Five Killed
Lebanon’s official state news agency reported that a series of Israeli airstrikes again struck the country’s southern region on Saturday (20/6) local time, as a ceasefire was in force. At least five people were killed in Tel Aviv’s latest bombardment.
The latest Israeli airstrikes hit Lebanese territory a day after the ceasefire was announced to have come into effect on Friday (19/6) afternoon.
A report by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), as cited by AFP on Saturday (20/6/2026), stated that the Israeli airstrikes hit more than a dozen locations in southern Lebanon from after midnight on Friday (19/6) until Saturday (20/6) morning.
Israel’s latest bombardment mostly struck the Nabatieh region, both within the city and on its outskirts.
NNA reported that at least three people were killed in a strike on the town of Arab Salim, another person was killed in the Dair Zahrani area, and one more person died after ‘an enemy drone carried out a strike on a motorcycle’ at the entrance to the town of Dweir.
These deadly Israeli attacks occurred a day after a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity as quoted by Anadolu Agency and Reuters, confirmed that an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire was agreed to take effect from Friday (19/6) afternoon at 4pm local time.
No further details were provided about the agreement to extend the ceasefire. It was only stated that the truce was mediated by the US and Qatar. A Gulf diplomat separately confirmed the extension of the ceasefire.
Israel’s ambassador to the US said his country would commit to the ceasefire if Hezbollah complied.
In a separate statement, an unnamed Israeli official, as quoted by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, said the ceasefire arrangement allows Israeli forces to remain in southern Lebanon and act against ‘emerging threats’.
‘If Hezbollah does not attack, we will not attack them. If they attack us, we will retaliate,’ the Israeli official said.
The ceasefire announcement had previously had little effect in halting attacks from either side.