ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Lebanon said 18 people were killed Friday in renewed Israeli airstrikes on southern parts of the country, coming as the Israeli military said four of its soldiers were killed in combat against Hezbollah the night prior.

The Lebanese health ministry said in a statement that Israel had carried out “intensive” airstrikes targeting at least 10 villages and towns in the south, resulting in a preliminary toll of 18 killed and 33 wounded.

The strikes “have prevented the evacuation of the martyrs and wounded,” according to the ministry.

In a later statement, the Israeli military said it struck more than 80 Hezbollah command centers and positions in southern Lebanon overnight, under the pretext of Hezbollah’s “repeated, ongoing, and blatant violations of the ceasefire.”

Israel had previously announced the death of four soldiers during combat with the Lebanese group on Thursday night, adding that at least five other military personnel were injured in a drone attack in southern Lebanon.

The latest casualties mark the deadliest escalation since the US and Iran reached an agreement early Monday to cease hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed the accord on Thursday.

US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday criticized members of the Israeli government, as a rift emerged between the two allies following the US-Iran deal. Speaking at the White House, Vance said that “anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.”

In a post on X on Friday, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote: “for every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers should cry. All of Lebanon should burn!”

On Monday, Ben Gvir had stated that Israel is not “bound” by Trump’s agreement and would not cave in to international pressure.

Trump has recently expressed frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing the Israeli leader as “crazy”, and criticized ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Beirut.

Netanyahu said on Monday that Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon “for as long as necessary.” On Thursday, he reiterated that Israel’s military would stay in the territory it occupies in southern Lebanon, while stressing the importance of maintaining ties with Washington, saying it was important “to maintain the important relationship with our American friends who fought shoulder to shoulder with us, and we greatly appreciate that.”