Israel continues attacks on Lebanon despite agreeing to ceasefire

Israel has continued to attack Lebanon after the new ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, raising fears that Tel Aviv is trying to wreck the fragile agreement tied to wider efforts to end Middle East hostilities.

On Friday, officials and diplomats from the United States and the Gulf separately told news agencies that the two sides agreed that a ceasefire would start at 4pm local time (1300GMT).

Despite the ceasefire, at least 12 Israeli air raids and continual artillery shelling hit southern Lebanon after the deadline, according to reports from the ground.

Israel and Hezbollah reportedly “agreed to halt hostilities” after Qatar, the United States and Iran brokered the ceasefire, a Gulf diplomat told the AFP news agency, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He said the ceasefire aimed to stop the escalation in Lebanon from derailing a broader push to turn the interim US-Iran agreement into a lasting regional peace deal.

The Gulf diplomat told AFP the deal followed a dangerous surge in fighting that threatened negotiations over ending the war with Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping.

The Israeli military has killed at least 47 people and wounded 97 others in attacks on Lebanon starting at midnight on Friday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Shortly before the ceasefire began, a senior US official said that the agreement had been reached through US and Qatari mediation, with Iran’s help. “We understand that after the exchange of fire earlier today, Israel and Hezbollah are now in a ceasefire,” the official told the Reuters news agency.

A Hezbollah official told Al Jazeera the ceasefire would hold if Israel abided by it. A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources also confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters. “If Hezbollah does not attack us, then for us it is not a time of war,” ⁠⁠the Israeli official said.

But Israel’s attacks continued almost immediately, leaving residents in southern Lebanon questioning whether the ceasefire had any meaning.

“It doesn’t feel much like a ceasefire,” said Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett, reporting from Tyre, after the Israeli attacks.

“Instead, there is a sense of deja vu. Each time a ceasefire is announced, we see a renewed burst of military activity on the ground,” said Pett.

An Israeli military spokesperson said on Friday that Israeli forces would retain “operational freedom” to respond to what they define as threats in southern Lebanon – language that effectively gives Israel room to keep striking despite the ceasefire.

“That has left many people here questioning what a ceasefire actually means,” added Pett.

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