a ceasefire that permits the war to continue
A ceasefire declared in April was meant to quiet the border between Israel and Lebanon, yet the bombs have not stopped falling. On Saturday, eleven civilians — among them a child and six women — were killed in the village of Sir al-Gharbiyeh, and Israeli strikes resumed across southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday. The violence persists against an unusual diplomatic backdrop: negotiations between the United States and Iran that could, if they hold, draw Lebanon into a broader regional settlement. History reminds us that the distance between a signed agreement and an actual peace is often measured in lives.
- An April ceasefire meant to pause the Israel-Hezbollah war has proven hollow — Israeli warplanes struck Lebanon again on Sunday, a day after killing eleven civilians including a child and six women in Sir al-Gharbiyeh.
- Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli troops still positioned inside a self-declared buffer zone six miles into Lebanese territory, with each side accusing the other of breaking the agreement first.
- Iran has raised the stakes by making any US peace deal conditional on Lebanon's inclusion, and Hezbollah's chief expressed cautious hope that a finalised agreement would cover his group.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cut against that optimism, publicly accusing Hezbollah of trying to destabilize Lebanon's elected government — signaling Washington views the group as an obstacle even while negotiating with its patron.
- Evacuation warnings covered more than a dozen Lebanese villages ahead of Sunday's strikes, and a civil defence facility in Nabatieh was destroyed overnight, suggesting the military campaign is far from over.
The ceasefire that took hold in mid-April was supposed to hold. It has not. On Saturday, an Israeli raid on the southern Lebanese village of Sir al-Gharbiyeh killed eleven people — a child, six women, and four others — and wounded nine more, including four children. The following day, Israeli warplanes struck again across southern and eastern Lebanon, sending smoke rising over Nabatieh and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah. A civil defence facility in Nabatieh was destroyed overnight, and evacuation warnings blanketed more than a dozen villages, a signal that more strikes were coming.
Israel maintains it reserves the right to hit Hezbollah targets, and has exercised that right repeatedly since the ceasefire was extended weeks ago. Hezbollah, for its part, fired rockets at Israeli troops still occupying a buffer zone roughly six miles inside Lebanese territory. Both sides invoke self-defense; neither has stopped.
What distinguishes this moment is the diplomatic layer above the violence. Iran has told Hezbollah's chief, Naim Qassem, that any emerging US-Iran peace agreement — mediated in part through Pakistani channels — must explicitly include Lebanon. Qassem responded with measured hope in a televised address, expressing confidence the deal would be finalised and cover Hezbollah. A newly sanctioned Hezbollah lawmaker described the regional moment as one of "major transformations."
Washington's tone was sharply different. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Hezbollah of attempting to drag Lebanon back into instability and denounced what he called the group's push to overthrow the country's elected government. Lebanese authorities have meanwhile opened direct talks with Israel under American supervision, insisting those discussions are separate from the Iran-US track — a distinction that may be impossible to preserve if a broader deal takes shape.
Lebanon was drawn into this war in early March, when Hezbollah fired on Israel following the killing of Iran's supreme leader. Since then, the country has been caught between two competing futures: one in which diplomacy finally reaches it, and one in which the jets keep coming and the civilians keep dying. For now, both are true at once.
The ceasefire that began in mid-April was supposed to hold. Instead, on Sunday, Israeli warplanes struck targets across southern and eastern Lebanon again—a day after a single raid on Saturday killed eleven people in the village of Sir al-Gharbiyeh, among them a child and six women. Nine others were wounded in that strike, including four children. The toll came despite an agreement meant to pause the Israel-Hezbollah war, and it came as diplomats in distant capitals claimed they were on the verge of something larger: a US-Iran peace deal that might reshape the entire region.
The ceasefire, extended just weeks earlier, has proven porous. Israel's military says it reserves the right to strike what it identifies as Hezbollah targets, and it has exercised that right repeatedly. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has answered in kind—firing rockets on Sunday at Israeli troops positioned inside Lebanese territory, where an Israeli-announced buffer zone extends roughly six miles into the country. The pattern is one of mutual violation dressed in the language of self-defense, each side claiming the other broke the agreement first.
What makes this moment strange is the diplomatic backdrop. Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah lawmaker newly sanctioned by the United States, said on Sunday that "major transformations are taking place in the region." He was referring to the Iran-US negotiations, which have apparently advanced to the point where Iran is now conditioning any agreement on the inclusion of Lebanon. On Saturday, Hezbollah's chief, Naim Qassem, received word from Iran's foreign minister that the latest proposal—channeled through Pakistani mediators—explicitly demanded that Lebanon be part of any broader ceasefire. Qassem responded with cautious optimism, telling his followers in a televised address that "God willing, this agreement will be finalised" and that Hezbollah would be among those covered by it.
The American position, however, is more combative. Secretary of State Marco Rubio used Sunday evening to accuse Hezbollah of trying to drag Lebanon back into chaos, denouncing what he called the group's "reckless call to overthrow Lebanon's democratically elected government." The statement was sharp enough to suggest that Washington sees Hezbollah as an obstacle to the very peace it is negotiating with Iran. Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities have begun direct talks with Israel under American supervision, insisting that these discussions remain separate from the Iran-US negotiations—a distinction that may prove impossible to maintain if a broader deal actually materializes.
On the ground, the violence is immediate and visible. An AFP correspondent watched smoke rise from strikes on Nabatieh and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah in the south. Lebanon's civil defence facility in Nabatieh was destroyed in an overnight raid, and photographs showed rescue workers pulling oxygen bottles from the rubble. The evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli military before some of the Sunday strikes covered more than a dozen villages across the south and in the eastern Bekaa valley—a precaution that suggests more strikes are expected.
Hezbollah's entry into this war came on March 2, when the group fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader. That single decision drew Lebanon into a conflict it had tried to avoid, and now the country finds itself caught between two competing diplomatic tracks: one that might end the fighting if Iran and the United States can reach agreement, and another in which Israeli jets continue to fall and civilians continue to die. The ceasefire, whatever it was meant to accomplish, has not stopped either.
Citações Notáveis
Major transformations are taking place in the region, with Iran making its agreement with the United States conditional on stopping the war in Lebanon— Hassan Fadlallah, Hezbollah lawmaker
God willing, this agreement will be finalised and there are signs of its completion, and accordingly that we too will be among those included in this agreement—an agreement of a full cessation of hostilities— Naim Qassem, Hezbollah chief
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Israel keep striking if there's a ceasefire in place?
Because the ceasefire has a loophole built into it. Israel says it can act against what it calls planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks. So technically, every strike is a response to something—whether Hezbollah actually did it or Israel believes it will.
And Hezbollah is doing the same thing?
Yes. They fired rockets on Sunday at Israeli troops inside Lebanon. Both sides claim the other violated first. It's a ceasefire that permits the war to continue.
What's the connection between these strikes and the US-Iran talks?
Iran is now saying it won't make a deal unless Lebanon is included in the ceasefire. So the fate of Lebanese civilians is now tied to negotiations happening in rooms they're not in.
Does Hezbollah want this deal?
Their chief expressed hope for it. But the US Secretary of State just accused them of trying to destabilize Lebanon. So even if Iran and America agree on something, it's not clear Hezbollah will be part of the solution.
What happens to the villages if the negotiations fail?
The evacuation warnings suggest more strikes are coming regardless. The diplomatic track and the military track are running parallel, and there's no guarantee they'll ever meet.