Israel launches major strikes on Lebanon one day after declaring halt to Iran conflict

By Seo Ji-yeon, The Herald Business

Tensions in the Middle East are rising again after Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on southern Lebanon just one day after declaring a halt to its armed conflict with Iran. Lebanon's health authorities said at least eight people were killed in the strikes.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said Tuesday that Israeli forces carried out sweeping airstrikes across Tyre, a coastal city in the country's south. Eight deaths have been confirmed so far, and rescue teams are searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings for additional survivors and victims.

Footage from the scene showed debris-strewn roads, smoke-filled alleyways and heavy machinery operating near damaged structures.

Médecins Sans Frontières said it was temporarily suspending medical operations and mobile clinic services it had been running near Tyre as a result of the strikes.

Before the strikes, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders covering all of Tyre. The orders extended to Christian residential areas in the city's northwest — a departure from previous practice that signals an expansion of the strike zone.

The strikes came shortly after both Iran and Israel separately announced halts to their military operations.

Iran's Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, which coordinates the country's armed forces, announced in a statement that it was suspending attacks on Israel. It warned, however, that "if aggression by the enemy continues — including in southern Lebanon — we will take far stronger and more overwhelming action than before."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also announced a halt to hostilities with Iran, saying that "Iran and Hezbollah have been weakened more than ever, but the struggle against them is not over."

The current escalation began when Israel struck Hezbollah's headquarters on the southern outskirts of Beirut on June 7. US President Donald Trump had urged Israel to hold back, but the strike went ahead regardless.

Iran retaliated the same night, firing roughly 30 ballistic missiles at Israel. Israel responded by launching two rounds of airstrikes using fighter jets against Iranian air defense systems and petrochemical facilities.

US mediation led both sides to announce a temporary halt to military action, but renewed fighting on the Lebanese front has left the region's instability unresolved. Analysts warn that if clashes between Hezbollah and Israel escalate further, the conflict between Iran and Israel could reignite as well.