Israel resumes Lebanon strikes, Lebanon says one killed

Israel's military said it resumed strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, citing what it called a Hezbollah ceasefire violation, as Lebanon and Israel held US-sponsored talks in Rome aimed at ending hostilities.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said an Israeli strike in Tibnin killed one person and wounded 11. It said the strike targeted the roof of a prayer area at a cemetery in the town.

The Israeli military said it had begun “precise strikes” in southern Lebanon after what it called a “blatant violation” by Hezbollah. It did not specify the alleged violation, its targets, casualties or precise strike locations.

Shortly before the strikes, the military told residents of Mansouri in southern Lebanon to evacuate north, in its first such warning since June. “In light of Hezbollah's violations of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces are compelled to act against it with force,” the military's Arabic-language spokeswoman, Ella Waweya, posted on X.

In Rome, a person involved in the negotiations told AFP that Israel requested Wednesday's talks with Lebanon end three hours early. The person said the head of the Israeli delegation, US ambassador Yechiel Leiter, blamed alleged “misleading leaks” by the Lebanese side. The talks were expected to resume on Thursday for a third and final day.

At US-sponsored talks in June, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a framework deal involving Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the south, starting in test areas known as pilot zones. A US State Department official told AFP this week's discussions would include expanding the pilot-zone process, resolving outstanding border issues and working on a comprehensive peace and security agreement.

The UN humanitarian agency said on Tuesday that more than 800,000 people displaced by earlier fighting in Lebanon had begun heading home after a recent lull in violence, while more than 360,000 remained displaced.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that direct negotiations would bring Lebanon “nothing but shame, humiliation” and successive concessions. Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected the direct talks and refused to surrender its weapons.

Mansouri, about nine kilometres south of Tyre and 10 kilometres north of Israel, and nearby areas have faced several Israeli strikes and artillery shelling in recent weeks despite the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel that took hold in June. Lebanon says Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion have killed more than 4,300 people since March. Israel's military says it has lost 38 soldiers and one civilian contractor since the war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted.