Four people were killed in southern Lebanon hours after the United States extended a ceasefire with Hezbollah, underlining how fragile the pause has become. Lebanon’s emergency operations centre said two Israeli raids struck a truck and a motorcycle in Yohmor al‑Shaqif north of the Litani River. The strikes came as Israeli forces demolished buildings in Bint Jbeil and bombed residential blocks in Khiam.

Strikes and immediate toll Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health emergency operations centre said two Israeli raids — one on a truck and another on a motorcycle — killed four people in Yohmor al‑Shaqif in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon. Heidi Pett in Tyre said the strikes occurred north of the Litani River, an area Israel has said it will treat as a zone of operations. She described widespread explosions and the "rumble and thud" of demolitions across southern swaths of the country. Separately, soldiers carried out demolitions of buildings in Bint Jbeil on Saturday morning, and correspondents reported bombings on residential blocks in Khiam. Within hours of the U.S. announcement extending the ceasefire, the Israeli military said it had "eliminated" six Hezbollah fighters in an exchange of fire near Bint Jbeil. Official voices and claims Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad described the ceasefire as "meaningless given Israel’s insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling, and gunfire," and said those actions gave Hezbollah a right to retaliate. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "maintaining full freedom of action against any threat" and accused Hezbollah of "trying to sabotage" the pause. Lebanese leaders have publicly rejected treating Lebanon as a bargaining chip in U.S.-Israel negotiations with Iran, officials told correspondents on the ground. Civilian displacement and daily life Families displaced from the south continue to face crowded and precarious conditions. Huda Kamal Mansour, from Aitaroun village, said she and her nine-year-old son have been living with other displaced families in an empty stadium in Beirut for 45 days after fleeing bombardment as tanks surrounded their area. Residents who remain in southern towns describe repeated explosions and home demolitions; those who left face uncertainty about when — or if — they can return. Ceasefire extension and political context The United States announced a three-week extension of a ceasefire with Hezbollah on Thursday. The strikes on Saturday, coming after that announcement, underline tensions between the stated diplomatic pause and ongoing military operations. A pre-announcement poll by the Israel Democracy Institute indicated strong domestic support among Jewish Israeli respondents for continuing action, even at risk of friction with Washington, a factor Israeli leaders cite when signaling continued operations against perceived threats. Regional and U.S. implications The continuation of strikes despite the ceasefire extension raises immediate diplomatic questions for Washington. The U.S.-brokered pause and announced extension, alongside Israel’s declaration of operational freedom and reported military activity near the Litani River, highlight limits to U.S. influence over Israeli tactics on the ground. For Lebanon, the pattern of strikes and demolitions increases humanitarian pressures, displacement and political tensions, and complicates Lebanese claims that the country must not be used as leverage in wider regional talks.

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Washington extended the truce for three weeks; the strikes that killed four people hours later show how quickly that pause can unravel.

This article was created with AI assistance.