Israeli military resumed strikes on southern Lebanon on Wednesday, despite ongoing negotiations, accusing the militant group Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire regime, while Beirut reported the death of at least one person.
New strikes and the first evacuation warning in weeks came as Lebanon and Israel, mediated by the USA, held talks in Rome aimed at ending hostilities. Beirut is seeking a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south of the country. “In response to the blatant violation of the ceasefire regime by the terrorist organization Hezbollah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began precise strikes on southern Lebanon,” the military statement said, released shortly before residents of the city of Mansouri in the south were ordered to evacuate. Lebanese state media reported that one person was killed and 11 were injured in a separate strike.
Peace and security talks
At the talks held with US mediation in June, Israel and Lebanon agreed on a framework agreement that provides for the disarmament of Hezbollah, the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the region, starting with test areas known as “pilot zones.” This week’s talks, which are expected to last until Thursday, are the seventh round of negotiations mediated by Washington since Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war in March by firing rockets at Israel in support of its patron Iran. Israel responded with powerful airstrikes and a ground invasion that, according to Lebanon, killed more than 4,300 people.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military issued its first such warning since June, telling residents of Mansouri: “Due to Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces are forced to act against it with force.” Arab-speaking military spokesperson Ella Waweya posted on X: “For your safety, you must immediately evacuate your homes and move north.” The city of Mansouri, located approximately 9 kilometers (6 miles) south of Tyre and 10 kilometers north of Israel, and its surroundings have been hit by several Israeli strikes and artillery shelling in recent weeks, despite the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel that came into effect in June. The city’s municipality on June 22 told residents they could return but asked them to avoid the part of the city that falls into the so-called Israel‘s “security zone” in southern Lebanon. The “security zone” denotes a strip of territory about 10 kilometers deep along the border with Israel, where Israeli forces continue to operate.
A US State Department spokesman told AFP that this week’s discussions “will include expanding the ‘pilot zones’ process, resolving all outstanding border issues, and concluding a comprehensive peace and security agreement.” During the meeting of delegations in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke with his Iranian counterpart — Iran is the main patron of Hezbollah — and called on Tehran to stop the group’s operations. Tajani in a post shortly before the Israeli strikes expressed hope that the talks “will bring concrete results.” Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that direct talks would bring “nothing but shame, humiliation,” and successive concessions for Lebanon. Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected direct talks and refuses to surrender its weapons.
Violence in Lebanon has decreased after the Lebanon-Israel agreement and the signing in June of a preliminary agreement between the USA and Iran on the Middle East conflict. However, Lebanon continues to report periodic Israeli strikes and shelling, as well as explosions and destruction in southern villages. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah in early March, the Israeli army has lost 38 soldiers and one civilian contractor.
Source: France 24
