Israel has carried out deadly strikes in south Lebanon and Hezbollah maintained it had the right to respond, despite the US announcement of a renewed ceasefire in fighting less than 24 hours ago.

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.

Lebanese state media reported Israeli air raids on around 20 locations, with the country’s civil defence agency saying 16 people were killed in the Nabatieh area, where an AFP photographer saw smoke rising over the city after strikes.

Another AFP journalist on the Israeli side of the border also reported multiple explosions in Lebanon, with smoke billowing behind the historic Beaufort Castle that Israel captured last month.