Israel’s deadly strikes continue across Lebanon despite the announcement of a new US-brokered ceasefire agreed between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington. At least 3,526 people have now been killed and 10,733 injured in Israeli strikes on Lebanon since March 2, the country’s Health Ministry said. A US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government has prompted the withdrawal of Israeli forces from some communities in southern Lebanon.

Fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces continues. The newly announced ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is already under pressure, as Israeli airstrikes continued in southern Lebanon just hours after the deal was confirmed. The US-mediated agreement requires Hezbollah to halt attacks and withdraw from border areas, while Israel maintains some operations. 

In Beirut, residents express cautious hope but deep skepticism after repeated failed truces, reflecting ongoing uncertainty over whether the latest ceasefire will hold. For the first time in weeks, Lebanese Army units entered the southern village of Dibbine after Israeli forces withdrew from the area. The deployment comes as Lebanon pushes for what officials described as a “comprehensive ceasefire deal”, although no agreement is yet in place.

Lebanon says the deal brokered by Washington is Lebanon’s last chance. Hezbollah has rejected the entire framework; Secretary-General Naim Qassem described the negotiations as “humiliating” and accused Washington and Israel of trying to impose politically what they failed to achieve militarily… Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam defended the negotiations, saying diplomacy remains the least costly option for Lebanon. He added that whoever refuses the deal should be held responsible. Despite the diplomacy, the war continues.

Israeli air strikes and artillery continued to hit towns across southern Lebanon, adding to destruction and displacement already stretching for months. The Israeli military said 63 officers and soldiers were wounded in fighting in southern Lebanon over the past four days. The negotiations are attempting to build a ceasefire, while the war is still ongoing, but the deeper issue now is whether Lebanon can reach a new political and security formula before the battlefield imposes its own realities.The coming days could determine whether Lebanon enters a fragile truce or a far wider confrontation. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)