Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed Saturday, shattering a renewed ceasefire that had taken effect only hours earlier and deepening the crisis threatening U.S.-Iran peace talks. The Israeli military said it struck targets in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah launched more than 50 attacks against Israeli forces in the region, an Israeli military official said. Lebanese state media reported Israeli attacks around the southern city of Nabatieh.
The toll of Saturday’s strikes was not immediately clear. In the prior round of violence that preceded the ceasefire, Lebanese health officials said 47 people had been killed and about 100 wounded. Israel said it killed dozens of militants in those earlier attacks.
Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to the renewed ceasefire, which was to take effect at 4 p.m. local time Friday. But the truce collapsed within hours as each side accused the other of violations. The escalation is one of the most serious since a ceasefire was reached in April, with fighting persisting intermittently even after that agreement as Israel has continued to hold territory in southern Lebanon.
The renewed clashes are complicating President Trump’s efforts to conclude a wider peace deal with Iran. A memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday by Trump, aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, explicitly states that the fighting on the Lebanese front must also end. Iran told mediators that Israel’s strikes amounted to a breach of that agreement and demanded guarantees that the violations would stop before negotiations could resume, according to Iranian and Arab officials.
Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, have stated that Israel will not back down and will continue to hold territory in Lebanon until Hezbollah is defeated, framing the fight as a vital national-security issue.
The Trump administration has sent mixed signals. At a press briefing Wednesday, a senior administration official said of Hezbollah’s patron Iran: “They have to get a collar on their dog. If Hezbollah attacks Israel, Israel’s going to have the full ability to go and attack.” But Trump and Vice President JD Vance later criticized Israel in tough terms for what they called excessive use of force. The president softened his tone again Friday, telling reporters: “We’ve had a great relationship with Israel, we were very formidable. And Bibi Netanyahu is a warrior prime minister, and he should be acknowledged as that.”