Israel violates renewed ceasefire in Lebanon

Israel launched attacks across parts of Lebanon over the weekend, killing and injuring people, including paramedics, just after agreeing to extend an earlier ceasefire.

The strikes continue to violate what is called "a ceasefire in name only" and a "truce ... never been observed in practice."

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported Israeli air strikes on multiple municipalities in southern and eastern Lebanon on both 16 May and 17 May, in addition to Israeli drones over its capital Beirut. Several villages received forced eviction orders by Israel as well.

The Israeli military claimed that Hezbollah "launched hostile aircraft, mortar shells, and explosive drones that fell near the sea in which IDF solders are operating in southern Lebanon" in a X post on 16 May. And Hezbollah reportedly launched a drone towards Israel with no injuries or damage reported, according to the Times of Israel.

The Iranian-backed group said in a statement, translated and published by Drop Site News, that its members struck Israeli members in southern Lebanon as a response to "Israeli ceasefire violations and attacks."

"In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is compelled to act against it forcefully," Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military's Arabic spokesperson, said on X.

Before the weekend, the US announced a 45-day extension of an initial so-called ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on 15 May.

The Washington meetings in April marked the first direct engagement between Israel and Lebanon in decades because the countries don't have diplomatic relations. The three parties announced a 10-day ceasefire on 15 April.

However, these talks over a "ceasefire" don't include Hezbollah, who Israel is fighting.

Israel is not fighting with Lebanon itself.

But Hezbollah has not been formally part of these talks.

The Iranian-backed group has rejected the negotiations: “The direct negotiations that the authorities in Lebanon have conducted with the Israeli enemy have... led them down a dead-end path that will result in nothing but one concession after another," Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan said.

Israel asserts it is targeting Hezbollah in its attacks—but Lebanon's health ministry continues to report civilian deaths and injuries.

There are also confirmed reports of deadly Israeli strikes on health workers and journalists in Lebanon over the last few months—and past couple of years—who are considered civilians and supposed to be protected under international law.

The UN human rights office in March said that Israel's attacks on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure could be violations of war crimes.

Lebanon's health ministry reports at least 2,988 people have been killed by Israel since it launched an escalation of attacks following the Israeli-US war against Iran beginning in March. It also recorded more than 9,210 injured from these attacks.

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