A US announcement that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire has been followed by continued reports of air strikes in southern Lebanon, raising doubts on whether the truce is fully holding despite official confirmation from some sides.
The agreement, according to a US official, came after days of heavy fighting that left 47 people dead in Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon. The escalation also saw Hezbollah kill four Israeli soldiers in an ambush, deepening fears that the broader effort to calm the region could collapse.
While the Israeli military later said a ceasefire was in effect, it also signalled that operations were not fully halted.
The Israeli army said its forces would still act when needed, with a spokesperson stating they would "continue to remove immediate threats". Hezbollah has not formally confirmed the ceasefire, although its secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassem struck a defiant tone, saying: "The project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed."
Despite the ceasefire declaration, rescue officials in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh reported at least 12 air strikes after the agreement was meant to have started at 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT), pointing to continued instability on the ground.
The ceasefire is tied to wider diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Iran, aimed at reducing tensions across multiple fronts. However, the latest developments have raised questions about whether the deal can be enforced amid ongoing military actions and political divisions.
The Israeli military confirmed the ceasefire but later stressed continued military readiness. Spokesperson Effie Defrin said Israel would "continue to remove immediate threats, respond to Hezbollah's violations, and do whatever is necessary to protect our civilians".
On the other side, Hezbollah’s leadership maintained that it remains in position despite Israeli pressure. Sheikh Naim Qassem said: "The project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed, and the Israelis will withdraw from every last inch of our land."
The fighting that preceded the ceasefire began when Hezbollah said it ambushed an Israeli unit in southern Lebanon, destroying three tanks with guided missiles and attacking troops with rocket and artillery fire. A battalion commander was among the four Israeli soldiers killed in that attack.
In response, Israel launched a wave of air strikes across southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that 47 people were killed, including women and children, while 97 others were injured. In the Nabatieh district alone, nine people were killed in Harouf, seven in Haboush, and six in al-Duweir, including a child.
The Lebanese state news agency described the bombardment in Nabatieh as one of the most intense since the conflict began. The scale of destruction has added to fears among residents who have already been displaced by months of fighting.
In the city of Nabatieh and surrounding areas, rescue teams continued to search through damaged buildings as reports of fresh strikes came in even after the ceasefire announcement.
The reaction among displaced Lebanese civilians has been marked by doubt and exhaustion. Many say previous agreements have not held long enough to bring relief. One man told Reuters news agency: "The agreement is good, and we all want an agreement, but the Israelis don't abide by it.
"How many times have they made agreements? More than once, they don't commit."
The political response has also been sharp. While the White House maintains that a ceasefire is in place, divisions among Israeli leaders have been exposed. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reacted strongly to the killing of Israeli soldiers, saying "Lebanon must burn... For every tear shed by an Israeli mother, 1,000 Lebanese mothers must weep".
Iran has also weighed in, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accusing Israel of pushing for "permanent war" and warning that any breach of the agreement would be blamed on the United States.
He also said any failure to respect the commitments set out in the agreement "will be attributed to the US".
The ceasefire is part of a broader diplomatic effort linked to US-Iran negotiations, with the aim of reducing hostilities across Lebanon and Israel’s northern border. The US State Department has said direct talks between Lebanon and Israel are expected to resume in Washington next week, targeting what it called a "lasting peace".
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has pushed for a wider settlement, telling US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that a "comprehensive ceasefire" under which "Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory" end is needed before further talks can move forward, according to the Lebanese presidency.
The war has drawn Lebanon into a wider regional conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran. It began after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in response to a strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader.
Since then, Israel has carried out sustained bombing campaigns across Lebanon and taken control of around 5% of territory in the south, saying the goal is to push Hezbollah away from its northern border.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, more than 3,900 people have been killed since the conflict escalated, including women and children, while over 11,600 have been injured. Around one million people remain displaced, and dozens of communities in southern Lebanon have been destroyed.
Despite the ceasefire announcement, continued strikes and political warnings suggest that the situation on the ground remains fragile and uncertain.