Israel resumed military strikes in southern Lebanon despite diplomatic efforts to preserve a ceasefire, saying Hezbollah had breached the agreement as Lebanese authorities reported at least one death.
The attacks, accompanied by the first evacuation order issued in weeks, came while Lebanese and Israeli delegations were meeting in Rome for US-backed negotiations. Beirut is pressing for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon in stages.
“In response to a blatant violation of the ceasefire by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation, the IDF has begun conducting precise strikes in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military said in a statement. The announcement followed an order for residents of the southern town of Mansouri to leave.
Lebanon’s state media reported that another strike killed one person and wounded 11 others.
The negotiations, due to continue until tomorrow, mark the seventh round of US-mediated discussions since Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the wider Middle East conflict in March by launching rockets at Israel in support of its ally Iran.
Israel answered with a sustained aerial campaign and ground offensive that Lebanon says has killed more than 4,300 people.
On Wednesday, in the first evacuation warning of its kind since June, the Israeli military told Mansouri residents: “In light of Hezbollah’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces are compelled to act against it with force.”
“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north,” Ella Waweya, the military’s Arabic-language spokeswoman, wrote on X.
Mansouri lies roughly nine kilometres south of Tyre and 10 kilometres from the Israeli border. The town and nearby areas have come under repeated Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire in recent weeks, even after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect in June.
On 22 June, the municipality told residents they could return home, while warning them to stay away from the section located inside Israel’s so-called “security zone” in southern Lebanon.
The “security zone” refers to a strip of land extending about 10 kilometres into southern Lebanon along the frontier, where Israeli forces remain active.
‘Shame, humiliation’
A US State Department official said the latest discussions would “include expanding the pilot zone process, resolving all outstanding border issues, and working on a comprehensive peace and security agreement”.
While the delegations were in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart, urging Tehran to stop Hezbollah’s operations. Iran is the group’s principal patron.
In a post published shortly before the Israeli strikes, Mr Tajani said he hoped the talks would “yield concrete results”.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, however, said the direct negotiations would deliver “nothing but shame, humiliation” and a series of concessions for Lebanon.
Hezbollah has consistently opposed direct negotiations and has refused to give up its weapons.
Fighting has eased since the Lebanon-Israel agreement and the preliminary US-Iran agreement on the Middle East conflict signed in June.
Still, Lebanon continues to report sporadic Israeli strikes and shelling, along with explosions and demolitions in villages across the south.
Since the war between Israel and Hezbollah began in early March, Israel’s military has reported the deaths of 38 soldiers and one civilian contractor.
