At least 32 people were killed as Israeli warplanes and drones pounded towns and villages across southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire that came into effect just a day earlier, the Al Jazeera reported.
The violence has deepened fears that the broader peace process, anchored by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed this week between Washington and Tehran, could collapse before it gains momentum.
Follow-up talks on the agreement will take place in Burgenstock, Switzerland, with US and Iranian officials joined by mediators from Pakistan and Qatar. Yet even before delegates arrive at the negotiating table, the continued bloodshed in Lebanon has emerged as a major stumbling block.
For Tehran, a sustained ceasefire in Lebanon is not merely a side issue but a cornerstone of the diplomatic effort. Iranian officials have signalled that stability on the Lebanese front could ultimately "make or break" the negotiations.
Lebanon's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 16 people and wounded 12 others in the Nabatieh district. A Lebanese soldier was also killed in an attack on the village of Kfar Reman, according to the National News Agency (NNA).
The Israeli military responded by accusing Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire, saying the group launched more than 50 projectiles at soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.
