Israeli Airstrikes on Southern Lebanon Continue Despite Active Ceasefire Agreement

Israel pressed ahead with military strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday, May 29, targeting residential towns, a health facility, and multiple villages in the Tyre district — all in direct violation of a ceasefire agreement that remains officially in force. The attacks mark yet another day of relentless Israeli military action against Lebanese territory despite a truce that has now been extended three times and is supposed to run until late June 2026.

What Happened on May 29: The Attacks Confirmed

According to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), citing the Lebanese National News Agency, Israeli forces carried out a series of coordinated strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday:

An Israeli drone targeted the town of Maaroub in the Tyre district, causing multiple injuries among residents.

An Israeli airstrike struck a health centre in the town of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, also in the Tyre district — an attack on civilian medical infrastructure.

Israeli aircraft launched further airstrikes on Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Ain Qana, Kfarjouz, Haboush, and Kfarman, according to field sources on the ground.

These strikes follow a pattern of near-daily Israeli military action that has persisted throughout the ceasefire period, raising increasingly urgent questions about whether the truce holds any practical meaning on the ground.

The Ceasefire Timeline: Three Extensions, Continuing Violations

The ceasefire now in force was brokered by the United States following intense regional and international pressure tied to the broader Iran-US conflict. Its history:

• April 16, 2026 — US President Donald Trump declared a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, taking effect at 5:00 PM EST for an initial period of 10 days.
• April 24, 2026 — The ceasefire was extended for a further three weeks as negotiations continued.
• May 15, 2026 — Following a third round of US-facilitated talks in Washington described by the State Department as "highly productive," the ceasefire was extended again for an additional 45 days.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed the latest extension: "The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress." A fourth round of negotiations is scheduled for June 2 and 3, with separate security talks between Israeli and Lebanese military delegations at the Pentagon also underway as of May 29.

Despite all of this, the strikes continued — on the very same day those Pentagon security talks began.

The Human Cost: 657 Killed Since the Ceasefire Began

The ceasefire has failed to stop the bloodshed. Lebanon's Ministry of Health has confirmed that at least 657 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect on April 16 — injuries and deaths sustained during a period in which active hostilities were supposed to have ceased.

The toll from the broader conflict since Israel intensified its attacks following Hezbollah's missile strikes on March 2, 2026 — three days into the US-Israeli war on Iran — stands at a far more devastating figure. Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center reported that between March 2 and May 15 alone, Israeli attacks killed 2,951 people and wounded 8,988 others.

The scale of civilian harm has been documented in specific incidents. Earlier this month, strikes on the town of Haboush in the Nabatieh district killed eight people including a child and two women, and wounded 21 others. A separate drone strike on Sidon killed five people, among them displaced families who had fled earlier fighting. At least 25 staff members at Hiram Hospital in the Tyre district were injured when Israeli strikes hit the surrounding area.

Attacking a Health Centre: A Serious Concern Under International Law

Thursday's strike on a health centre in Deir Qanoun al-Nahr is particularly significant. Medical facilities are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law — specifically the Geneva Conventions — which prohibit attacks on hospitals and health centres unless they are being used for military purposes, and even then require specific conditions to be met before force can be used.

This is not an isolated incident. Lebanese authorities and human rights observers have documented a pattern of Israeli strikes near or on medical infrastructure throughout the current conflict, including the earlier attack near Hiram Hospital in Tyre.

The Broader Context: Why Lebanon, Why Now

The Israel-Lebanon front cannot be understood in isolation. The current conflict erupted on March 2, 2026, when Hezbollah — the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group — fired missiles into northern Israel, two days after the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran. Israel responded with a sweeping bombing campaign and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, capturing dozens of towns and villages along the border and displacing an estimated 1.2 million people.

The ceasefire, brokered by Washington, was partly a product of Iran's demands. Tehran had made ending Israeli military operations in Lebanon one of its conditions in the ongoing indirect negotiations with the United States. Hezbollah was not a formal signatory to the agreement, which has complicated enforcement from the start. Israel, meanwhile, has maintained a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon and has continued striking targets it claims are linked to Hezbollah military infrastructure.

Both sides have accused the other of ceasefire violations. Israel says it is acting in self-defence against ongoing Hezbollah activity. Lebanon says the daily bombardment of its towns, the targeting of civilians, and strikes on medical facilities are unprovoked breaches of a legally binding truce.

What This Means Going Forward

The next scheduled round of US-facilitated negotiations takes place on June 2 and 3. The current ceasefire extension runs for 45 days from May 15, meaning it is due to expire around June 29. With attacks continuing daily — including against health infrastructure and civilian towns — the gap between the diplomatic language of "highly productive talks" and the reality on the ground in southern Lebanon has rarely looked wider.

Lebanon's government has condemned the attacks and called for international accountability. Beirut has previously filed formal complaints with the UN Security Council over Israeli violations. The international community, including Qatar through QNA's reporting of these events, continues to document and draw attention to the ongoing situation.

Key Facts at a Glance