Israel and Hezbollah continue attacks after diplomatic push
Fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has continued despite recent direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington aimed at easing the conflict, according to multiple reports.
On Wednesday, Israeli strikes hit towns across southern Lebanon, killing at least 13 people, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported. The strikes included an attack on a family home in the town of Jbaa, which killed a man, his wife, their son, and their daughter-in-law, according to NNA. Another five people were killed in Ansariyeh and four in Qadmus, the agency said.
Separately, Israeli strikes hit two vehicles on a coastal highway south of Beirut, near the towns of Saadiyat and Jiyeh, outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds, as reported by the BBC. Video from one scene showed a burned-out van, with first responders working to extinguish flames and recover human remains. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on those strikes.
Attacks and ground operations continue
In northern Israel, a man was wounded in the town of Tamra after Hezbollah launched about 30 rockets across the border, according to medics and the Israeli military, as reported by the BBC. Hezbollah said it had launched rockets at 10 locations in northern Israel, with no immediate reports of casualties beyond the wounded man.
The Israeli military said it was continuing ground operations in southern Lebanon and had struck more than 200 Hezbollah infrastructure sites, including rocket launchers, over the past 24 hours. It also renewed evacuation calls for residents across a large part of southern Lebanon amid ongoing air and artillery bombardment.
Israel has announced plans to create what it describes as a security buffer zone extending eight to ten kilometers (five to six miles) inside Lebanese territory, saying the measure is necessary to protect Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks, according to the BBC.
In the early hours of Wednesday, clashes were reported in several Lebanese border towns and villages, including Khiam and Bint Jbeil, with heavy gunfire and explosions heard throughout the night, the BBC reported.
Political fallout and humanitarian concerns
The ongoing attacks come after Israel and Lebanon held direct talks in Washington, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, described as the first such sit-down between the two countries in decades, according to Al Jazeera.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah criticized the Lebanese government for negotiating with Israel, saying 'negotiating with the enemy is wrong' and warning of 'internal division' in Lebanon, as quoted by Al Jazeera. His remarks reflect anger among some Lebanese who believe the government should not have engaged in talks with Israel, which has killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon in recent weeks, Al Jazeera reported.
Residents in affected areas are questioning why the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has not been implemented, with Al Jazeera reporting that residents say the ceasefire was repeatedly breached by Israel through near-daily violations.
The humanitarian situation in Lebanon remains dire, with more than one million people displaced, according to the BBC. Although Israel has avoided striking Beirut itself since a wave of attacks a week ago, which Lebanese authorities say killed more than 350 people in only ten minutes, it has continued to strike southern and eastern areas, the BBC reported.
Neither the BBC nor Al Jazeera provided a count of Israeli casualties from Hezbollah attacks in their reports; however, the BBC noted that a man was wounded in Tamra in the latest rocket fire.