The Israeli military has launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon, hitting towns and villages near the border after Hezbollah rejected a new diplomatic agreement brokered by international mediators. The attacks, which began in the early hours, have killed at least 12 people, including two children, and wounded dozens more, according to Lebanese officials. Plumes of smoke rose over the city of Tyre and the village of Khiam as residents fled their homes. The strikes come just hours after Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah called the proposed deal a “surrender” and vowed to continue fighting.
The violence threatens to shatter the fragile ceasefire that has held for two weeks. The United Nations has called for an emergency session, while aid agencies warn of a humanitarian catastrophe. “Families are once again trapped in basements. This is not a solution, it is a relentless cycle of grief,” said a Red Cross worker in Sidon. The cost of living in Lebanon, already crippled by hyperinflation and a collapsed currency, is expected to soar further as markets close and supply routes become disrupted. Bread prices have doubled in some areas, and fuel queues are forming. Meanwhile, in northern Israel, sirens wailed as rockets from Lebanon targeted towns, forcing families into shelters. “We want peace, but not at any price,” said a mother in Nahariya, her voice trembling. “But who pays the price? The children in both countries.”
Diplomatic sources say the deal offered Hezbollah a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from disputed border areas in exchange for a freeze on attacks. But hardliners on both sides have opposed it. The conflict, now in its seventh month, has killed over 1,600 people, displaced hundreds of thousands, and deepened regional instability. In Beirut, families are packing their belongings again, unsure if they will ever return. The price of a tin of lentils has tripled. “We can't afford to eat and we can't afford to die,” said a father of four, his voice cracking. The airstrikes continued into the afternoon, with no end in sight.
