Five killed as Israel launches air strikes in Lebanon after agreeing to ceasefire

At least five people were killed in Israeli air strikes and drone attacks in southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanese state media reported, just hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group took effect.

Jana Choukeir/Reuters

20 June 2026 at 05:35:10

Five killed as Israel launches air strikes in Lebanon after agreeing to ceasefire

Smoke rises in southern Lebanon following Israeli strike after a senior Israeli official told Reuters on Friday that Israel and Hezbollah were in a ceasefire, as long as Hezbollah does not attack Israel, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, June 19, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone.

Avi Ohayon/Reuters

DUBAI - At least five people were killed in Israeli air strikes and drone attacks in southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanese state media reported, just hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group took effect.

State news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones carried out a series of strikes across the Nabatieh area overnight and into Saturday morning, destroying residential buildings and homes, while Israeli artillery shelled Nabatieh and its outskirts before dawn.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to the ceasefire on Friday following an escalation in hostilities in Lebanon, according to a U.S. official.

A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources confirmed the agreement to Reuters. The U.S. official said the truce was to begin at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Friday.

Reporting by Jana Choukeir; Editing by William Mallard/Reuters