Israel–Hezbollah Conflict Continues Despite Ceasefire Extension, Death Toll Nears 3,000 in Lebanon

Despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire extension, Israel and Hezbollah continue exchanging strikes as the death toll in Lebanon rises to nearly 3,000, raising fears of further regional escalation.

By Danielle Harper Coleman

Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have continued to escalate despite a recently extended U.S.-backed ceasefire, with fresh airstrikes and retaliatory attacks reported across southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces carried out multiple airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, according to Lebanese security sources and the state-run National News Agency, while Hezbollah announced new attacks targeting Israeli military positions in the ongoing cross-border conflict.

The renewed violence comes despite a 45-day extension of a truce brokered through U.S.-led mediation efforts, which officially began at midnight following recent talks involving Israeli and Lebanese officials.

The mediation process has been running in parallel with wider diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions in the broader Middle East, including the ongoing Iran-related regional conflict. Analysts say the situation remains fragile, with ceasefire arrangements repeatedly tested by fresh outbreaks of violence.

Israeli authorities confirmed that they carried out strikes targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, while also warning civilians in several villages to evacuate ahead of planned operations.

Hezbollah, in response, said it launched an explosive drone targeting an Iron Dome air defence position in northern Israel, along with additional attacks on Israeli military forces operating near the border region.

The Israeli military stated that several projectiles and drones were launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory, though it did not immediately provide full details on casualties or damage. It also reported striking more than 30 Hezbollah-linked sites over the past 24 hours.

In one of the latest incidents, security sources in Lebanon reported that an Israeli airstrike near Baalbek killed a commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, along with his daughter. The Israeli military later confirmed the operation, stating it targeted a senior militant figure it accused of planning attacks against Israeli interests.

Lebanon’s National News Agency also reported multiple airstrikes across at least six locations in southern parts of the country, underscoring the intensity of ongoing military activity despite diplomatic efforts to restore calm.

The conflict has had devastating consequences for civilians, with Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reporting that nearly 3,000 people have been killed since fighting intensified on March 2. The death toll includes hundreds of women, children, and healthcare workers, although the exact number of combatant casualties remains unclear.

Independent estimates suggest that many Hezbollah fighters killed in the conflict are not included in official civilian casualty figures, further complicating assessments of the war’s true human cost.

On the Israeli side, authorities say multiple soldiers and at least one contractor working with the defence ministry have been killed in Hezbollah-related attacks since the conflict escalated, while civilians in northern Israel have also suffered casualties.

The Israeli military maintains that its operations in southern Lebanon are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure embedded within civilian areas, including villages and border communities. It has also established what it describes as a security buffer zone to prevent further cross-border attacks.

Diplomatic observers warn that the continued fighting risks undermining ongoing ceasefire negotiations and could further destabilise an already volatile region, especially as parallel diplomatic efforts continue around the wider Middle East crisis involving Iran and allied groups.

With both sides maintaining military pressure and negotiations struggling to hold, analysts say the conflict remains highly unpredictable, with the potential for renewed escalation if the truce fully collapses.