Amid the escalating tensions in West Asia, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed that at least 14 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the country on Sunday

Amid the escalating tensions in
West Asia, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed that at least 14 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the country on Sunday. The ministry noted that the death toll included two children, two women and the Israeli attack injured 37 others.

The latest spate of violence has become concerning since it is happening even after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a
three-week ceasefire extension in Washington. Earlier, an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson issued evacuation warnings for several villages in southern Lebanon.

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The evacuation order stated that residents “must evacuate” immediately and that staying would be “endangering their lives”. IDF later said that it had carried out “artillery and aerial strikes” targeting Hezbollah operatives and sites in southern Lebanon that it claims were used “to advance attacks against IDF soldiers”.

It also mentioned that a 19-year-old
IDF soldier had been killed and a Hezbollah drone attack in Lebanon injured six others. Meanwhile, Hezbollah also launched three drones towards Israel, the IDF reported, which it said were intercepted by Israel’s air force before they crossed the border.

The fragile ceasefire

What is concerning is the fact that the two nations remain under a precarious semi-permanent ceasefire, which took effect on April 16 and was extended by three weeks on Thursday last week. What is important to point out is the fact that under the deal, Israel retains its “right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”.

While speaking at a government meeting on Sunday, Israel’s Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF is “active, and it is acting with force” in Lebanon, stating Hezbollah’s actions are “disintegrating the ceasefire”.

“We are acting vigorously according to the rules we agreed upon with the United States, and incidentally, with Lebanon as well. This means freedom of action, not only to respond to attacks, which is obvious, but to thwart immediate threats and also to neutralise emerging threats,” he said.

Sunday’s attack from Israel came after the IDF said it struck Hezbollah “military structures” overnight, and accused the Iran-backed group of launching two explosive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) towards Israel. Since the extension of the ceasefire, both Israel and Hezbollah have reported attacks from one another since the ceasefire came into place, accusing each other of violating the agreement.

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On Saturday, Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets” in Lebanon. At least six people were killed in strikes on southern Lebanon on the same day. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister,
Abbas Araghchi, returned to Pakistan on Sunday to set out Tehran’s framework for resuming peace negotiations with Washington.

The diplomatic manoeuvring is coming at a time when US President Donald Trump has unilaterally extended a ceasefire between Iran and the US that had been due to expire on 22 April.

First Published:
April 27, 2026, 06:16 IST

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