Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon Injure 8 Amid Rome Talks
Al Jazeera Staff
Israeli airstrikes and shelling on southern Lebanon's Tyre district have wounded at least eight people, amid a seventh round of US-mediated ceasefire talks in Rome. The strikes came as negotiators discussed Hezbollah's disarmament and Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory, with the US saying talks were "productive" but no breakthrough reported.
Israeli airstrikes and shelling targeting towns in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon have wounded several people, while a seventh round of US-mediated ceasefire talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv is under way.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said in a statement carried by state media on Thursday that Israeli airstrikes on the town of Burj Shemali wounded eight people. An Israeli drone struck the al-Malaab neighborhood of Burj al-Shamali, about 5km from Tyre. Three additional strikes were carried out between the southern towns of al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun.
An airstrike destroyed a civilian house, according to Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr in Lebanon. Earlier, a booby-trap explosion killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded four others on Wednesday during a search operation in Majdal Zoun. The soldiers had entered a civilian house when the device detonated. Their deaths were the first casualties since Israel and Hezbollah declared a ceasefire two months ago.
According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, since March 2, Israel's latest military escalation in Lebanon has killed 4,333 people and wounded more than 12,000. The Israeli military also fired 113 shells into southern Lebanon on Wednesday – the highest number recorded since June 21 – according to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The Lebanese army announced it was deploying to al-Mansouri to reopen roads, but the Lebanon-Israel “Mechanism Committee” – heavily influenced by the Israeli military's control of Lebanon's border – has suspended this mission, according to village mayor Haidar Madihli. The Israeli military considers the village a “restricted military zone.”
In recent weeks, Israeli forces have detonated several explosions near Lebanon's Beaufort Castle, a UNESCO-listed heritage site. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have said the military targeted a tunnel system in the area, which is said to be a key part of Hezbollah's plan to infiltrate communities in the Galilee region. However, no evidence of these tunnels has been provided so far.
Seventh round of talks between Israel and Lebanon
The latest attacks occurred on the third and final day of the seventh round of US-mediated direct talks between Lebanon and Israel in the Italian capital, Rome.
The issue of Hezbollah's disarmament and Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory was discussed at the talks. A Lebanese official earlier told Anadolu that Lebanon had not received a response from Israel on ceasefire commitments.
Following Thursday's talks, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement that the negotiations had been “productive” at the technical level. “Lebanon and Israel are moving much closer to reaching an agreement on advancing and expanding the process of pilot areas,” he said.
A senior Lebanese official speaking to Anadolu on Thursday said the day's talks began about an hour late due to what he described as “reasons related to the US.” The meetings were conducted through three parallel sessions on military, political, legal and border issues, as well as the prisoner issue.
The military meeting focused on technical issues, including consultations on military terminology and phrasing, the unnamed official said. Politically, discussions centered on two main issues: the proposal for “model areas” for Israel's phased withdrawal and Lebanon's demand for a full extension and implementation of the ceasefire.
Negotiations on model areas have entered a serious phase, with the Israeli delegation requesting details of proposed locations to assess surrounding conditions, including geographical factors, the official said. However, no breakthrough has been achieved on this matter. The official also said Israel's recent escalation in southern Lebanon was not directly discussed in the Rome talks, but was addressed through a mechanism established on October 27.
With little leverage over Lebanon, “the latest round of talks in Rome is unlikely to lead to further Israeli withdrawal,” Al Jazeera's Khodr reported from Nabatieh, Lebanon. “Israeli officials have repeatedly made this clear.”
