Israel Attacks Lebanon Again Despite Talks in Rome

Doc. Troops from the 91st Division of Israel in southern Lebanon. (Source: IDF)

Israel's military launched another attack on southern Lebanon on Wednesday despite ongoing negotiations, accusing the militant group Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire, while Beirut reported at least one dead.

The new attack and the first evacuation warning in recent weeks come as Lebanon and Israel are holding US-brokered talks in Rome, Italy, to end hostilities, in which Beirut is seeking a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the south.

"In response to a clear violation of the ceasefire by the terrorist organization Hezbollah, the IDF has begun launching precision strikes in southern Lebanon," the military said, shortly after ordering residents to evacuate the town of Al-Mansouri in the south, Al Arabiya reported from AFP (5/8).

Lebanese state media reported one person was killed and 11 others were wounded in the separate attack.

The Israeli military on Wednesday delivered a message to the residents of al-Mansouri: "In light of Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were forced to take decisive action against them."

"For your safety, you must immediately evacuate your homes and move north," the Arabic-speaking military spokesman, Ella Waweya, wrote on the X platform.

Mansouri town - located about nine kilometers (six miles) south of Tyre and 10 kilometers north of Israel - and its surrounding areas have been the target of several Israeli air raids and artillery fire in recent weeks, despite a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel having been in place since June.

The local municipal government told residents on June 22 they could return, but asked them to avoid parts of the city that fall within an area Israel calls a "security zone" in southern Lebanon.

The "security zone" refers to a strip of territory where Israeli forces continue to operate, stretching up to about 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon along its border with Israel.

In negotiations initiated by the US in June, Israel and Lebanon agreed on a framework that includes the disarmament of Hezbollah, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of Lebanese troops to the area, starting in a test area known as the "pilot zone."

This week's negotiations, which are scheduled to last until Thursday, are the seventh round of talks mediated by Washington since Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Middle East conflict in March through rocket attacks on Israel in support of its ally, Iran.

Israel responded with massive air raids and a ground invasion that Lebanon says has killed more than 4,300 people.