Israeli forces launched a new wave of air strikes and artillery bombardments across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, hitting the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area, the outskirts of Kfar Tebnit, and the town of Ansariyeh, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The attacks came barely 48 hours after the United States and Iran announced a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the wider Middle Eastern war, a deal mediated by Pakistan and explicitly said to include Lebanon. At least five people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the accord was unveiled, and Hezbollah responded by firing more than ten rockets at Israeli troops near Kfartebnit, while Israeli ground forces were reported to be advancing towards the town of Haddatha. Viewed from Beirut, the escalation signals that the battlefield is outpacing the negotiating table.

Speaking on the margins of the G7 summit in Évian, France, President Donald Trump delivered an unusually blunt public rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring he was “not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah” and demanding Israel be “more responsible”. Trump, who once styled himself as Israel’s staunchest ally, now accuses Netanyahu of fighting too long and killing too many people, even questioning the tactic of bombing entire apartment blocks to target militants. In Washington, the calculus is shifting: with the war unpopular at home and gasoline prices rising, the White House views a swift exit as a political imperative. Analysts in London note that Trump’s willingness to use leverage over Israel—hinting that Netanyahu could jeopardise something the president “really wants”—marks a rare fracture in the relationship.

From Tehran, the message has been equally sharp. Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted that the US-Iran understanding must include a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, and the Iranian military has threatened a “severe response” if Israeli attacks persist. Hezbollah, Tehran’s most capable proxy, has indicated it will not countenance a nuclear deal while Israeli operations continue. The text of the agreement has not been released, but Trump himself cautioned that it is not definitive and warned Iran to “behave” or face renewed American strikes. This conditional language, combined with Israel’s ongoing raids, leaves the accord looking more like a tentative ceasefire proposal than a settled peace.

On the ground, the violence has diminished but not stopped, allowing some displaced residents to begin returning to inspect their homes even as Israeli drones target vehicles and artillery shells fall on villages such as al-Rihan and Sojod. Yet Israel’s public broadcaster reports that the military is preparing for a prolonged presence in Lebanon, a posture that directly contradicts the spirit of the emerging diplomatic framework. The coming days will test whether Trump’s frustration can translate into tangible restraint on his ally, or whether the deal collapses under the weight of competing battlefield realities. For now, the gap between the diplomacy and the drums of war remains dangerously wide.