Israel intensified its military campaign in southern Lebanon on Saturday, striking more than 70 Hezbollah positions and issuing evacuation warnings for the city of Nabatieh and over 20 other towns and villages. The Lebanese National News Agency reported that airstrikes killed at least five people, including the mayor of Ar-Rihan municipality, Ali Badie, and destroyed homes and government buildings in Bint Jbeil. The Israeli military said it had identified and killed Hezbollah operatives near its troops operating inside Lebanese territory, while Hezbollah claimed a series of precise operations using suicide drones and rocket barrages against Israeli forces and command posts.

The escalation came as the United States and Iran signalled they were nearing a deal to end the broader Middle East war, which could also include a ceasefire in Lebanon. Iranian officials indicated that any understanding with Washington would encompass a halt to hostilities in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been fighting in support of its patron Tehran. However, viewed from Beirut, the continued Israeli strikes and Hezbollah’s retaliatory attacks underscored the fragility of the diplomatic track. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned that the country faced a fateful choice between a state monopoly on weapons and remaining hostage to militia logic, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on Hezbollah to disarm and support US-mediated negotiations.

On the ground, the violence showed no sign of abating. Hezbollah said it had downed an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over the al-Taffah area and targeted a newly established Israeli command post in Maroun al-Ras with rocket salvos. The Israeli military reported that a missile fired from Lebanon toward its forces was intercepted, and sirens sounded in the southern Israeli city of Eilat due to a suspected drone incursion, later attributed to a false alarm. Analysts in London noted that the mutual attacks risked undermining the nascent diplomatic momentum, as both sides sought to improve their bargaining positions before any potential ceasefire.

The humanitarian toll mounted as well. The Lebanese army reported that one of its soldiers was seriously wounded in an Israeli drone strike on the road between Kfar Reman and Nabatieh. The Israeli military ordered residents of 24 localities to evacuate immediately north of the Litani River, echoing previous displacement waves that have emptied large parts of southern Lebanon. From Washington, the push for a deal appeared driven by a desire to prevent a wider regional conflagration, but the continued exchanges of fire suggested that a durable peace remained elusive. The coming days will test whether diplomatic channels can overcome the entrenched hostilities on the ground.