Israeli attacks wound eight in Lebanon despite Rome talks

Israeli air strikes and shelling targeting towns in the southern Lebanese district of Tyre have wounded several people, in the midst of a seventh round of US-mediated ceasefire negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

“Israeli air strikes that targeted the town of Burj Shemali resulted in the injury of eight persons,” the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement reported by state media on Thursday.

Israeli drones struck the al-Malaab neighbourhood in the Burj al-Shamali municipality, roughly 5km (3.1 miles) from Tyre. Three additional strikes were launched between the southern towns of al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun.

One air strike destroyed a civilian home, according to Al Jazeera’s Lebanon correspondent Zeina Khodr.

A booby-trapped explosion killed two Israeli soldiers and injured four on Wednesday during a search operation in Majdal Zoun. The soldiers had entered a civilian home when the device detonated. Their deaths marked the first casualties since Israel and Hezbollah announced a truce two months ago.

Since March 2, Israel’s latest military escalation in Lebanon has killed 4,333 people and injured more than 12,000, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The Israeli army also fired 113 projectiles 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 its deployment to al-Mansouri to reopen the roads, but the Lebanese-Israeli “Mechanism Committee” – largely dictated by the Israeli army’s control over the Lebanese border – halted the mission, according to village mayor Haidar Madihli. The Israeli army considers the village a “restricted military zone.”

In the past few weeks, Israeli forces have detonated multiple explosions near Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle, a UNESCO-listed heritage site. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed in a statement that the army had targeted a tunnel system in the area that formed a key part of Hezbollah’s plan to infiltrate communities in the Galilee. No evidence of the tunnels has since been provided.

Seventh round of Israel-Lebanon talks

The latest attacks come on the third and final day of the seventh round of US-brokered direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in the Italian capital, Rome.

The topic of Hezbollah’s disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory was on the table at the talks. Lebanon had not received an answer from Israel on its commitment to a ceasefire, a Lebanese official earlier told the Anadolu news agency.

After the talks on Thursday, US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement that the negotiations were “fruitful” at the technical level. “Lebanon and Israel are much closer to reaching an agreement on advancing and expanding the pilot zones process”, he said.

A senior Lebanese official speaking to Anadolu on Thursday, said that the day’s talks began about an hour late for what he described as “US-related reasons”. They were conducted through three parallel meetings covering military, political, legal and border issues, as well as the issue of prisoners.

The military meeting focused on technical matters, including consultations on military terminology and wording, the unnamed official said.

On the political track, discussions centred on two main issues: proposed “model areas” for Israel’s phased withdrawal and Lebanon’s demand for the renewal and full implementation of the ceasefire.

Talks on the model areas had entered a serious phase, with the Israeli delegation requesting details about the proposed locations to assess surrounding conditions, including geographical factors, the official said. No breakthrough had been achieved on the issue, he added.

The official also said the latest Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon was not discussed directly during the Rome negotiations but was addressed through a mechanism established on October 27.

With little leverage for Lebanon, “the latest round of talks in Rome is unlikely to lead to further Israeli withdrawals”, said Al Jazeera’s Khodr, reporting from Nabatieh in Lebanon. “Israeli officials have made this clear time and time again.”