BEIRUT, June 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Saturday, said the Lebanese Civil Defense, hours after a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel took effect.

Rescue workers remove rubble with an excavator, as they search for victims on destroyed buildings that were hit in an Israeli airstrike in Qannarit village, southern Lebanon, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (Photo: AP)

Sixteen bodies and 12 injured people had been transported to hospitals, and 47 residents in the Nabatieh region had been evacuated, it said.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israel launched a series of airstrikes and drone attacks across southern Lebanon overnight and early Saturday, and the Lebanese army said in a statement that "the continuation of brutal Israeli attacks aims to obstruct any solution that would allow for restoring stability in Lebanon."

An Israeli military official told media that Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight. In response, Israeli forces struck what the official described as "Hezbollah targets."

The attacks came despite a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel that took effect on Friday afternoon. The truce followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.