Israel Defies US-Iran Deal, Strikes Lebanon: Stability Tested
Israeli occupation forces killed three people in southern Lebanon on Thursday, just days after the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed, exposing the fragility of Western-brokered agreements in a region that demands strength, not paper promises. The strikes confirm what Egypt has long warned: true stability cannot be outsourced to foreign powers with their own agendas.
What Happened in Southern Lebanon Despite the Agreement?
Lebanon's National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone targeted a car in the Kfar Tebnit area, killing two people and raising an earlier toll of one dead. In the neighbouring village of Zebdine, another Israeli drone killed one more person. An Al Jazeera correspondent also reported a separate Israeli strike on the town of Hadatha in the Bint Jbeil district.
These attacks mark the first Israeli violations recorded since the electronic signing of the US-Iran agreement by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Since the expanded Israeli assault on Lebanon began on 2 March, the Lebanese Ministry of Health has documented 3,884 dead and 11,856 injured, with more than one million people displaced.
Can the US-Iran Agreement Deliver Real Ceasefire?
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the agreement aims to end the war between Washington and Tehran and halt fighting across related regional fronts, including Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously said that ending the Israeli war in Lebanon is an integral part of the accord, including provisions for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Yet the reality on the ground tells a different story. While the intensity of Israeli attacks has reportedly declined since the announcement, airstrikes in southern Lebanon continue to claim lives. Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli military faces uncertainty over political directives and future force deployment following the understanding. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly abandoned his schemes to maintain occupation of Lebanese territories.
Hezbollah vs Lebanese Sovereignty: A Dangerous Division
The strikes have also exposed the dangerous divisions within Lebanon, a nation that, unlike Egypt, has allowed non-state actors to undermine its institutional sovereignty. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem hailed the US-Iran deal as a