Israeli attacks in Lebanon threaten to derail the 10-day truce
Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed that the towns of Khiam and Debbine in the south were subjected to Israeli strikes.
Lebanon’s National News Agency announced the continuation of Israeli shelling on two towns in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire entering into force at midnight, Beirut and Tel Aviv time, raising fears that the truce could collapse at any moment.
In an urgent report issued about 30 minutes after the truce began, the agency stated: “The continuation of hostile (Israeli) shelling on the towns of Khiam and Debbine (south) after the ceasefire entered into force,” adding: “Intensive drone flights are observed over Rachaya and the western slopes of Mount Hermon (southeast).”
A teenage boy was killed and another injured by the explosion of Israeli remnants in the town of Majdel Selm in the Marjayoun district, while several paramedics were injured in Tyre in a direct targeting, according to the official agency.
It added that Israeli army forces “fired an artillery shell and machine-gun bursts toward a rescue team affiliated with the Islamic Health Authority in the town of Kounine in the Tyre district, causing injuries,” without providing further details.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed hope that Hezbollah would behave well after the temporary ceasefire in Lebanon came into effect.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump said: “I hope the party behaves well and properly during this important period,” adding: “It would be a great moment for them if they did, no more killing. Peace must finally prevail.” In another post, he added: “It could be a historic day for Lebanon and good things are happening.”
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern that the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel could be threatened by the continuation of military operations.
On the eve of the truce announcement, the Israeli army and Hezbollah escalated their attacks. Since the early hours of Thursday, Tel Aviv bombed 101 areas in Lebanon, killing 35 people and injuring 106 others.
Hezbollah, for its part, announced that it had carried out 56 attacks on Israeli settlements, positions, vehicles, and military gatherings, triggering sirens 23 times across wide areas of the north.
Minutes before the agreement took effect, sirens sounded in the settlement of Kiryat Shmona and surrounding areas in northern Israel following rocket fire from Lebanon, according to the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
The agreement entered into force at midnight local time in both countries (21:00 GMT) for a duration of 10 days. Lebanese citizens expressed joy at the end of the shelling, while Hezbollah supporters drove around raising the party’s flags and pictures of former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
At dawn on Friday, tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese began returning to Beirut’s suburbs and to villages and towns in the south of the country. Reporters observed heavy return movements from areas north of Beirut toward its southern suburbs, where roads leading into the area experienced severe congestion.
Heavy traffic was also recorded on the roads stretching from Beirut and Mount Lebanon toward southern regions, particularly on the coastal road leading to the cities of Sidon and Tyre. Meanwhile, the Israeli army warned displaced persons against returning to villages and towns located south of the Litani River.
On Thursday evening, Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon starting at midnight Thursday/Friday, Tel Aviv and Beirut time.
In a post on his Truth Social account, he said: “I just had excellent talks with the respected President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon, and with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
He added: “These two leaders agreed that, in order to achieve peace between their two countries, they will officially begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time” (midnight in Lebanon and Israel, 21:00 GMT).
Since March 2, Israel has been carrying out an offensive in Lebanon that has resulted in 2,196 deaths, 7,185 injuries, and more than one million displaced persons, according to the latest official figures.
On March 9, Aoun announced an initiative including a truce to halt Israeli attacks, the launch of direct negotiations with Israel under international sponsorship, necessary logistical support for the Lebanese army, and the confiscation of Hezbollah’s weapons, which the latter rejects.
The Lebanese government has adopted a plan to disarm Hezbollah, which insists on retaining its weapons and emphasizes that it is a “resistance movement” against Israel, which occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the 2023–2024 war.
In October 2023, Israel launched a war against Lebanon. A ceasefire was announced in November of the following year, but Tel Aviv continued to violate it daily before expanding its offensive on March 2.
