BEIRUT — Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Friday dismissed a newly announced US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon as a “farce,” saying the group would continue fighting until Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanese territory. His remarks came as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 people across Lebanon — the third consecutive day of intensified bombardment since the ceasefire framework was announced in Washington.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least 3,526 people have been killed and 10,733 injured since Israeli operations escalated on March 2, 2026 — the start of what has become the deadliest single conflict in Lebanon’s modern history. The ministry said Friday’s strikes targeted residential areas in Tyre, Nabatiyeh, and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not be bound by any ceasefire it considered “meaningless” while Hezbollah maintained its military presence south of the Litani River. The IDF said its forces had advanced to within 2 kilometers of the Litani River following a ground operation launched in mid-May, and had established control over four strategic hilltop positions near Khiam.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday that any broader diplomatic understanding between Tehran and Washington must include a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. “There will be no peace in the region as long as one inch of Lebanese soil remains occupied,” IRGC spokesman General Mohammad Naqdi said in Tehran. US President Donald Trump, who hosted the ceasefire talks, said the US was “not bluffing” about its commitment to ending the conflict militarily if diplomacy fails.
The United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL said it had recorded 47 ceasefire violations in the past 72 hours — the highest rate since the de facto ceasefire was announced in January. France and the United Kingdom have called for an emergency UN Security Council session.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, in a rare direct criticism of Iran, told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah’s continued operations were “making Lebanon a theater for a war that is not ours alone to fight.” The remarks drew immediate rebuke from Hezbollah’s political leadership and from Tehran.
Oil prices surged 2.1 percent on news of the renewed fighting, pushing Brent crude above $127 per barrel. The EU called the escalation “deeply alarming” and said it was accelerating review of additional sanctions on Iran.
Layla Hassan for