At least one Lebanese person, two Israeli soldiers killed in south Lebanon

Israeli strikes killed one person while two Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion inside a booby-trapped building in southern Lebanon amid ongoing talks aimed at implementing a ceasefire.

Wednesday’s Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese town of Tibnin hit the roof of a cemetery prayer hall, killing one person and injuring 12 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

The latest strike came after two Israeli soldiers were killed, another critically wounded and several others injured when an improvised explosive device exploded inside a booby-trapped building in the southern Lebanese village of Majdal Selem.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, since March 2, Israeli attacks have killed at least 4,333 people and wounded 12,250 others.

Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said Majdal Selem remained under Israeli military occupation.

“The village lies close to al-Mansouri …There is no Hezbollah presence there, making this a notable incident,” Khodr said.

Forced displacement orders

Following the explosion, the Israeli military announced on Telegram it had begun carrying out what it described as “precise strikes” across southern Lebanon, saying the attacks were launched in response to a “blatant violation of the ceasefire by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation”.

The Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Ella Waweya, also issued renewed forced displacement orders for residents of al-Mansouri, urging them to head north before further strikes.

Khodr said that although hostilities have eased in recent weeks, the situation remains highly volatile.

“Israeli air strikes have continued intermittently, mainly targeting villages along the front line, even as Lebanese and Israeli diplomats and military officials hold negotiations aimed at implementing the ceasefire framework,” she said.

She added that many residents who have returned to damaged homes remain fearful that the conflict could flare up again.

“Progress in negotiations has been limited, and many here doubt the ceasefire will hold. There is also concern that any broader regional escalation could quickly spill over into Lebanon, reigniting a conflict that many believe has never truly ended despite the reduction in fighting,” Khodr added.

Talks continue

The second day of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon concluded in the Italian capital, Rome, on Wednesday. The talks are expected to run through Thursday, as Beirut pushes for a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and an end to Israeli attacks.

The talks follow a US-sponsored framework agreed in June, under which Israel and Lebanon committed to the disarmament of Hezbollah, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the south of the country in test areas known as “pilot zones”.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected direct talks with Israel and has refused to surrender its weapons.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem said that the talks would bring “nothing but shame, humiliation” and successive concessions for Lebanon.