Beirut: The ceasefire remains in place even as Israel continues its offensive against Lebanon. The partial ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remains in effect overall, despite continued Israeli military offensives in southern Lebanon.
According to Thai News Agency, the agreement, pushed urgently by U.S. President Donald Trump, included a key reciprocal condition: Israel agreed to cease bombing Beirut and the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, a key Hezbollah stronghold. In return, Hezbollah agreed to stop firing rockets and sending drones across the border into Israeli territory. However, the agreement did not cover southern Lebanon, resulting in Israel continuing airstrikes and artillery fire against targets in the Nabatiyeh area and the city of Tyre.
In the city of Tyre, a hospital was severely damaged by an Israeli airstrike, resulting in at least four deaths and 127 injuries. The emergency department and intensive care units were so badly damaged that patients had to be evacuated. The Israeli military later admitted that the attack on the hospital was unintentional, stating that the real target was the neighboring Hezbollah military infrastructure. Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to attack Israeli ground forces operating in southern Lebanon.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened a major attack on Beirut, prompting President Trump to call and strongly reprimand Netanyahu, according to Axios news agency, due to fears that an escalation of violence would derail overall peace negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Meanwhile, Israeli far-right politicians, such as National Security Minister Itama Ben-Qur, criticized Netanyahu for being too accommodating to US demands. Similarly, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid stated via X that Israel is becoming a US 'protectorate,' accusing Netanyahu of allowing Washington to dictate Israel's military policy.
Senior leaders of Hezbollah have stated that they will not accept a partial, long-term ceasefire and are closely monitoring the situation on the battlefield as well as diplomatic avenues.
Since the conflict erupted on March 2, more than 3,400 people have died in Lebanon, and over 1 million Lebanese people have been displaced. Israeli evacuation orders cover more than an eighth of the country, while Hezbollah has launched rocket and drone attacks targeting Israeli forces and northern cities, killing 26 Israeli soldiers and 4 civilians.