Israel Bombs Lebanon Despite Ceasefire Agreement, Killing Five

Israel Reaches Agreement with Hezbollah under U.S. Mediation, but Resumes Attacks
Concerns Rise over Obstacles to Follow-Up Peace Talks between the U.S. and Iran

On the 20th (local time), smoke rises in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, following an Israeli attack. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

Despite reaching a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, Israel continued to attack southern Lebanon, resulting in five deaths.

On June 20 (local time), major foreign media outlets including AFP, citing Lebanon's state-run NAA news agency, reported this development.

According to the reports, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on more than 10 locations in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, using fighter jets and drones in the early morning hours. The attacks killed three people in Arab Salim and one person in Deir Zaherani, respectively. In Dweir, a drone strike on a motorcycle killed one person.

Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon even after the United States and Iran signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war on June 17. This action ignores Article 1 of the MOU, which explicitly declares "the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon."

Iran protested, calling this a violation of the ceasefire agreement, and further negotiations with the United States have been delayed. In response, the United States pressured Israel, leading to a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered by the United States and Qatar, which took effect at 4 p.m. on June 19 (local time).

However, since Israel has resumed airstrikes on Lebanon, there are concerns that follow-up negotiations between the United States and Iran may not proceed smoothly. Analysts also point out that the United States' inability to finalize the schedule for its first working-level talks with Iran, which are set to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue and sanctions relief, is related to the current situation.

Nonetheless, according to U.S. media outlet Axios, the U.S. side is actively preparing for the working-level talks. Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, has traveled to Switzerland, the location of the negotiations. Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also stated on the 19th, "Plans are currently being made to hold negotiations in the coming days."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.