Israeli strikes kill 18 in southern Lebanon as IDF reports four soldiers dead
Lebanese health officials say at least 18 people were killed in overnight Israeli air strikes, while Israel's military confirms four of its soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah.
At least 18 people were killed in southern Lebanon after a series of Israeli air strikes overnight, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The strikes hit the Nabatieh district, injuring 33 others and damaging several buildings.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had hit about 80 targets linked to Hezbollah and that "dozens" of the group’s members were killed. It also confirmed that four Israeli soldiers died in the fighting.
Hezbollah said it ambushed an Israeli unit, destroying three tanks with guided missiles and targeting troops with rockets and artillery fire.
The clashes come a day after the United States and Iran signed an agreement aimed at ending hostilities across the region, including a pledge to respect Lebanon’s territorial integrity. French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot urged Israel to honor the deal and called on the United States to press the Israeli government.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the soldiers’ deaths by stating that “all of Lebanon must burn.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance cancelled a planned trip to Switzerland for direct talks, criticizing Israeli cabinet members who oppose the U.S.–Iran agreement and urging a diplomatic solution.
Since the latest round of fighting began, Lebanon’s health ministry reports nearly 4,000 deaths and more than 11,000 injuries, with about a million people displaced.