Attacks hit more than 10 sites in south Lebanon within hours of ceasefire taking effect, killing 5; Iran calls it a violation of the end-of-war MOU; follow-up talks in Switzerland face fresh uncertainty
By Seo Ji-yeon, The Herald Business
Israel launched fresh airstrikes on southern Lebanon just hours after reaching a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, casting a shadow over follow-up negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Israeli forces deployed fighter jets and drones in the early hours of Saturday, striking more than 10 locations including the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon, according to AFP and Reuters.
Lebanon's state-run NNA news agency reported that the strikes killed three people in Arab Salim, one in Deir Zahrani, and one more in Dweir, where a drone strike targeted a motorcycle.
The attacks came shortly after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Qatar. The two sides had entered the truce at 4 p.m. Friday.
The strikes also appear to conflict directly with a memorandum of understanding the US and Iran signed.
Article 1 of the MOU calls for "an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon."
Iran has consistently argued that Israeli strikes on Lebanon constitute a violation of the end-of-war agreement. Tensions along the Lebanese front have already forced a postponement of the first follow-up working-level talks the two sides had planned to hold in Switzerland.
Iran has conveyed to the US and mediating countries that the situation in Lebanon is the key benchmark it will use to decide whether to continue negotiations, sources said.
Washington has also been watching Israel's actions closely.
President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged a disagreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Lebanon during the recent Group of Seven summit.
Trump urged restraint, saying, "Don't blow up a building every time a Hezbollah person walks into it."
Israel has nonetheless continued military operations in Lebanon, citing Hezbollah drone strikes as justification.
The latest airstrikes raise fresh concerns that follow-up talks between Washington and Tehran could be derailed again.
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Switzerland to resume negotiations, and former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner has already arrived there, according to Axios.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said "plans are being drawn up to hold negotiations within the coming days."
However, analysts warn that renewed instability along the Lebanese front could affect the negotiating timeline under which the US and Iran agreed to discuss Iran's nuclear program and sanctions relief within 60 days.
While hopes have grown that the Middle East is entering a post-war phase, the Lebanese front remains the single biggest variable, analysts say.
sjy@heraldcorp.com
