Ceasefire in Southern Lebanon Unravels as Casualties Mount on Both Sides

An Israeli air strike killed a senior Lebanese army officer and two other soldiers on Saturday, drawing a sharp condemnation from Beirut that underscored the fraying ceasefire in southern Lebanon. The attack on a military vehicle near the southern town of Kafr Tebnit killed a brigadier general, a captain and a soldier, the Lebanese army said, marking one of the most serious direct hits on state forces since the truce was first declared. President Joseph Aoun, a former army commander, described the strike as a “blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty” and warned it threatened stability at a delicate moment in Washington-led negotiations.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, acknowledged the deaths of two of its own soldiers in separate incidents, pushing its own fatality count to at least 17 since the ceasefire came into effect in mid-April. Captain Shahar Gamla, 23, succumbed to wounds sustained earlier in south Lebanon, while Sergeant Ohad Yaari, 21, was killed in clashes on Friday. Israeli media reported that the soldiers belonged to the elite Egoz unit, part of the Golani Brigade, and that overall Israeli losses since the truce now range between 16 and 18, depending on the tally. The figures include 14 military and civilian contractors in south Lebanon, as well as two soldiers in northern Israel.

The violence has continued despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, originally declared on 16 April and since extended twice. The fourth round of direct talks in Washington this week produced a joint statement from Lebanon, Israel and the US committing to implement a conditional truce, yet on the ground, Israeli warplanes struck at least three times on Saturday alone. In the coastal village of Al-Saksakiyah, six people were killed and four wounded in what the state news agency called an initial toll from Israeli raids. Lebanese officials have repeatedly warned that the targeting of the national army, a force seen as neutral in the conflict, risks drawing the state into a wider confrontation.

Analysts in Washington note that the Biden administration is pushing for a durable ceasefire as a cornerstone of its regional de-escalation strategy, but viewed from Beirut, the talks have done little to halt the erosion of sovereignty. The Lebanese army, which is not party to the hostilities between Israel and non-state actors, finds itself increasingly in the crossfire, a position that Aoun has called untenable. Unless the diplomatic track yields swift and tangible constraints on military operations, the cycle of strike and retaliation is likely to deepen, entrenching the mistrust that has repeatedly undercut past truces.