(BBC) – At least 18 people have been killed in southern Lebanon following a series of Israeli air strikes overnight, the country’s health ministry has said – while the Israeli military says four of its soldiers were also killed.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had struck 80 targets linked to the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah and killed “dozens” of its members.
It comes a day after the US and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, including a permanent cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.
Both Israel and Hezbollah have carried out strikes against each other since the agreement was announced, raising questions about the future of the truce between the US and Iran.
The US-Iran deal calls for an end to hostilities on all fronts, and for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty to be respected.
However, Israel has said it has no intention of withdrawing its forces from Lebanon and has insisted that its conflict with Hezbollah is separate from the war on Iran.
