Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued on Monday despite the start of a new 45-day ceasefire extension, with both sides reporting military operations as Lebanon’s death toll from the conflict surpassed 3,000.
Israeli airstrikes struck multiple locations in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese security sources and the state news agency, while Hezbollah announced fresh attacks on Israeli forces and military positions.
The renewed violence came hours after an extension of a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement took effect at midnight, following a third round of U.S.-hosted talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives.
Truce Extension Overshadowed by New Violence
The conflict, which reignited on March 2 amid the wider U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, has largely remained concentrated in southern Lebanon despite repeated diplomatic efforts to reduce hostilities.
A Lebanese official confirmed that the latest ceasefire extension began on Monday, but military activity quickly resumed.
Overnight, an Israeli strike near the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbeck killed Wael Mahmoud Abd al-Halim, a commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, along with his daughter, according to Lebanese security sources.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had targeted and killed Halim, stating that measures were taken to reduce the risk of civilian casualties. It did not comment on reports regarding his daughter’s death.
Hezbollah Claims New Attacks
Hezbollah said it launched an explosive drone targeting an Iron Dome air defense position in the Galilee region of northern Israel and carried out additional attacks against Israeli forces operating in Lebanon.
Israel’s military reported that several projectiles and an explosive drone crossed into Israeli territory, targeting soldiers in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Israeli strikes on more than half a dozen locations across southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said it could not comment on those reports without specific coordinates and did not immediately address Hezbollah’s claim regarding the Iron Dome attack.
Earlier in the day, Israel said it had struck more than 30 Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon during the previous 24 hours. The military also issued evacuation warnings for residents in three southern villages, saying operations against Hezbollah infrastructure were planned.
Casualties Continue to Rise
Lebanon’s health ministry said the number of people killed since the conflict resumed on March 2 has reached 3,020.
According to the ministry, the dead include 619 women, children and healthcare workers. The casualty figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Sources familiar with Hezbollah’s casualty figures have previously said that many fighters killed during the conflict are not included in the ministry’s official death toll. Earlier reports citing estimates from within Hezbollah suggested several thousand fighters had died, though the group denied those figures.
On the Israeli side, authorities say 18 soldiers have been killed either in Hezbollah attacks or while operating in southern Lebanon since March 2. An additional contractor working for Israel’s defense ministry was also killed. Hezbollah attacks have also claimed the lives of two civilians in northern Israel.
Diplomatic Efforts Continue
The latest ceasefire extension is part of broader U.S.-led mediation efforts taking place alongside negotiations aimed at ending the wider conflict involving Iran.
Iran has stated that ending Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon is one of its conditions for any broader agreement linked to the regional conflict. Hezbollah, however, has opposed the participation of the Lebanese government in the talks.
