Dubai, UAE — Lebanon saw no let-up in fighting this week despite fresh US-brokered efforts to consolidate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, with Israeli strikes killing at least 12 people, including a Lebanese army brigadier general, a captain and a soldier.
The deaths came only days after Washington mediated a conditional truce aimed at reducing hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border. The latest agreement followed months of intermittent diplomacy after the April 8 ceasefire repeatedly failed to halt exchanges of fire. Hezbollah has rejected the new arrangement, arguing it does not adequately address Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon, while Beirut has accused Israel of undermining efforts to reach a lasting settlement.
The violence has also become a sticking point in broader negotiations surrounding the nearly 100-day-old US-Iran conflict. Lebanese army chief General Rudolf Haykal travelled to Pakistan over the weekend for talks linked to mediation efforts involving Islamabad, which has emerged as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran.
Lebanon: Senior army officers killed
Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed at least 12 people, including Brigadier General Wassam Sabra, Captain Elie Khoury and soldier Hussein Ghozal. The Lebanese army accused Israel of deliberately targeting efforts to stabilise the border region, while Israeli forces said the incident occurred in an active combat zone and remained under investigation.
The attack triggered condemnations from Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, which described the strikes as violations of Lebanese sovereignty and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Gulf tensions escalate
Regional tensions intensified after Iran launched missiles and drones towards Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes on Iranian coastal radar facilities. Washington said most projectiles were intercepted and reported no casualties among US personnel.
The exchange further strained already fragile ceasefire arrangements between the United States and Iran, with negotiations remaining deadlocked over security guarantees, sanctions relief and regional conflicts, including Lebanon.
Food security concerns mount
The conflict’s economic impact continued to spread beyond the Middle East. The UN World Food Programme warned that earlier projections of a sharp rise in global hunger are materialising as disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz push up fuel and food costs.
The agency said prolonged instability could leave millions more people facing acute food insecurity while humanitarian organisations struggle with rising operating costs and funding shortages.
