Israeli strikes kill at least 16 in southern Lebanon despite reports of renewed ceasefire

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon have killed at least 16 people, local authorities said on Saturday, despite reports of a renewed ceasefire aiming to end persistent violence that threatens the new agreement between the US and Iran. Lebanon’s civil defence agency said its personnel transported “16 dead and 12 wounded” to hospital, adding that they had been working “since the early morning hours” in the Nabatieh district in response to “ongoing attacks targeting the area”. A new outbreak of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel on Friday forced mediators to cancel talks in Switzerland that were supposed to start the process of turning the current interim agreement between the US and Iran signed this week into a more detailed deal that would cover Iran’s nuclear programme. The interim agreement calls for a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. It has been fiercely criticised by Israeli ministers, officials and commentators, who argue that it stops Israel countering a threat from Hezbollah . The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in response to overnight projectile launches from the Iran-aligned Lebanese militant organisation. One of the deadliest Israeli strikes on Saturday hit a three-storey residential building in the southern town of Barish in the Tyre district, killing a father, mother and their two children, a local village official ‌told Reuters. …