By Laila Bassam, Jana Choukeir and Maayan Lubell
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, June 20 (Reuters) - Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 10 people on Saturday, hours after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, with Israel saying it was responding to projectiles fired by the Iran-backed group.
Lebanon's state news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones hit multiple locations in the south and the Bekaa Valley.
An Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting strikes on what the official said were "Hezbollah targets".
Hezbollah said it remained committed to the ceasefire but would respond to any attempt by Israel to seize territory or expand its occupation, adding that its fighters remained fully prepared to defend Lebanese territory.
The group said Israeli forces attempted overnight to infiltrate the Ali al-Taher hill area in southern Lebanon. It said its fighters engaged the forces, after which Israel carried out airstrikes inside and outside the operational area.
A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters the group would not allow Israel "freedom of movement" in what it called occupied Lebanese territory, adding that resistance remained legitimate while Israeli forces remained in Lebanon.
The violence highlights the fragility of a truce intended to halt months of escalating violence, and of an interim peace deal between the U.S. and Iran that hinges in part on an end to the conflict in Lebanon.
DEADLY STRIKES
One of the deadliest Israeli strikes hit a three-storey residential building in the southern town of Barish in the Tyre district, killing a father, mother and their two children, a local village official told Reuters.
The Lebanese army said an Israeli strike killed a soldier on the Kfarrumman-Nabatieh road and accused Israel of undermining efforts to restore stability.
Israel's Arabic-language military spokesperson said calm could be achieved if Hezbollah halted what she described as hostile activity and violations of agreements, adding Israel's presence in a security zone aimed to remove threats and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure, not harm civilians.
The ceasefire was agreed on Friday after a sharp escalation in hostilities. A U.S. official said it took effect at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) that day, while a senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources confirmed the agreement.
Lebanon's health ministry says 3,912 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including medics, women and children. Israeli authorities say at least 32 soldiers and four civilians have been killed in the latest hostilities.
The U.S.-Iran understanding announced this week calls for an immediate, permanent end to military operations by the parties and their allies across multiple fronts, including Lebanon.
Israel, which was not part of those negotiations, has opposed provisions it says could constrain its campaign in Lebanon.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir, Laila Bassam and Maayan Lubell. Additional reporting by Eman Abouhassira. Editing by William Mallard and Mark Potter)
