The southern front in Lebanon is in turmoil once again after Israeli airstrikes caused the largest number of casualties since a ceasefire was reached last June.

As the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war between the United States and Iran has effectively been rendered void, and negotiations through mediators fail to find a breakthrough, the Lebanon ceasefire specified in the MoU is also seriously shaking.

On the 15th local time, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health announced that at least 11 people were killed and 19 others were injured in overnight Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon the previous day.

In the southern village of Ansar, a strike on a residential home killed seven people, including three children and two women, while a bombing targeting the nearby village of Deir el-Zahrani resulted in four deaths.

The Israeli military claimed that the latest airstrikes were a justified retaliation against Hezbollah attacks targeting its troops.

It stated that the action was a response to an explosive-laden drone attack by Hezbollah in a security zone near the Ali al-Taher ridge, which seriously injured three Israeli soldiers.

Israel announced that it had struck Hezbollah military infrastructure in the areas of Ansar and Deir el-Zahrani, eliminating Radwan special forces commanders Ali Samir al-Hajj Hassan and Hassan Allah, among others.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam fiercely criticized Israel, stating, "The women and children who were sacrificed are not military targets," and adding that Israel is undermining regional stability.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also pointed out that the airstrikes were a clear message directly targeting the peace negotiations mediated by the United States.

Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, urged the international community to fulfill its responsibility to stop the war.

However, with elections approaching in October and mindful of right-wing voters, the Israeli government shows little sign of backing down.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized on social media, "No front will be left uncalculated," and "We will strongly defend our soldiers and citizens."

Concerns are rising that the Lebanon ceasefire is facing a crisis as Israel pivots toward a hardline stance amid a confrontation where the US and Iran have effectively scrapped their war-termination MoU.

Following a period of armed clashes over issues such as the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, peace negotiations between the US and Iran have stalled recently.

As the momentum for negotiations has evaporated, mediator countries such as Qatar and Pakistan have stepped up to help resolve the situation, but contact between the two nations is reportedly confined strictly to indirect message exchanges.

Iran maintains a hardline stance, declaring that "there will be no full reopening of the strait unless the US changes its attitude," while the US continues to tighten maritime controls and sanctions against Iran, leading to an acute standoff.

Consequently, analysts suggest that the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and peace framework, which Iran strongly demanded and secured as a core precondition for the war-termination MoU agreement, has also become imperiled.

With the overarching framework of the higher-level war-termination MoU effectively collapsing, the sub-condition of the Lebanon ceasefire is also losing control and could begin to shake in earnest.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)