Israeli strikes kill 16 in Lebanon hours after ceasefire

Israeli strikes killed 16 people in Lebanon on Saturday, hours after a truce took effect, with Israel saying it was responding to attacks from Hezbollah and the group saying it would not allow Israel "freedom of movement" in Lebanon.

A halt to fighting in Lebanon is a condition for starting 60 days of US-Iranian talks on Tehran's nuclear program and other issues key to forging a more durable deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stabilize global oil supplies. It was not clear when those talks might begin.

Wednesday's interim US-Iran deal requires both countries and their allies to stop military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

But Israel, left out of the talks, says it is not party to the deal, and will keep its forces in the Lebanese territory it occupies.

A US official had said the truce took effect at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Friday, and Israeli and Hezbollah sources confirmed the agreement to Reuters.

ISRAEL SAYS IT IS RESPONDING TO HEZBOLLAH ATTACKS

Lebanon's state news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones struck locations across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Saturday, both Hezbollah strongholds.

Lebanon's Civil Defence service said 16 people were killed in the raids.

An Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, and that Israel had attacked what it described as Hezbollah targets in response. A military statement added that Israel was committed to the ceasefire and would continue to act against any threat to Israel or its forces.

A Hezbollah statement said its fighters had confronted Israeli forces trying to infiltrate the Ali al-Taher hill area in southern Lebanon overnight, and had inflicted casualties. A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters the group would not allow Israeli forces freedom of movement in Lebanese territory.

The Hezbollah statement said the group remained committed to the ceasefire but would respond to any attempt by Israel to seize territory or expand its occupation.

Lebanon was drawn into the regional war when Hezbollah attacked Israel after the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran. Israel responded with an offensive against Hezbollah that included invading south Lebanon.

One of the deadliest Israeli strikes on Saturday hit a three-storey residential building in the town of Barish in the Tyre district, killing a father, a mother and their two children, a town official said.

The Lebanese army said an Israeli strike had also killed a soldier on the Kfarrumman-Nabatieh road.

Israel's Arabic-language military spokesperson said calm and stability could be achieved if Hezbollah ceased what she described as hostile activities and violations of agreements.

She said Israel's presence in Lebanon was intended to remove threats, not to harm Lebanese civilians.

Lebanon's health ministry says 3,912 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including medics, women and children. It does not say how many combatants are among the dead.

Israel says at least 32 Israeli soldiers and four civilians have been killed in the conflict with Hezbollah.

PROSPECT OF IRAN-US TALKS UNCLEAR

As fighting continued, it was unclear whether substantive talks would begin soon between the US and Iran to turn this week's interim 14-point pact into a lasting deal to end the war they launched on February 28.

Switzerland said it continued to provide a "discreet and reliable setting" at the mountaintop resort of Buergenstock to facilitate discussions. Its foreign ministry said no further details would be disclosed about participants and the talks' content, citing confidentiality.

US Vice President JD Vance cancelled plans this week to travel to Switzerland for talks with Iran as tension between Israel and Hezbollah rose.

On Friday, Swiss authorities met officials from Qatar, which has also been supporting the negotiations, at Buergenstock.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, whose country has been mediating, was in Tehran for talks with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

The Iran war has killed at least 8,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. It has pushed up energy prices, stoking inflation worldwide. Hezbollah has not disclosed its casualty figures.

The interim deal includes sanctions relief for Iran, the unfreezing of assets worth tens of billions of dollars and immediate US waivers for its oil exports. It also envisages a $300 billion reconstruction fund and other incentives.

Trump again defended the deal after criticism in Washington, including some from Republican allies in Congress who question whether he conceded too much to end a war unpopular with most Americans ahead of midterm elections in November.

"The War has diminished Iran!" Trump wrote on social media on Friday, adding, "We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not 10 cents!"