Israel resumes Lebanon strikes as Rome talks seek ceasefire breakthrough

TDT | Manama

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Israel resumed airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Wednesday despite ongoing US-sponsored peace talks in Rome, accusing Hezbollah of violating a ceasefire agreement. Lebanese authorities said at least one person was killed and 11 others were wounded in separate strikes.

The Israeli military said it launched “precise strikes” against Hezbollah targets in response to what it described as a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire. It also issued an evacuation warning for residents of the southern town of Mansouri, urging them to move north for their safety. The warning marked the first such evacuation order since June.

The latest violence came as Lebanese and Israeli delegations met in Rome for the seventh round of US-mediated negotiations aimed at ending months of cross-border hostilities. Talks are focused on expanding pilot security zones, resolving border disputes and advancing a broader peace and security agreement.

A framework agreed in June calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army in areas vacated by Israeli forces. However, Hezbollah has rejected the agreement and continues to refuse to surrender its weapons.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem dismissed the negotiations, saying they would bring Lebanon “nothing but shame, humiliation and successive compromises.”

Although violence has declined since a preliminary US-Iran agreement and the June ceasefire framework, Lebanon continues to report intermittent Israeli airstrikes, shelling and demolitions in southern villages. Israeli forces still maintain a presence inside a security zone extending several kilometres into southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said more than 821,000 displaced Lebanese had returned to their hometowns by the end of July, though over 360,000 people remain displaced. The UN also warned that damage to water and electricity infrastructure continues to affect more than 700,000 residents in southern Lebanon.

The conflict began in March when Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in support of Iran, prompting Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive that Lebanon says has killed more than 4,300 people and displaced over one million at the height of the fighting.