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Explosion Hits Majdal Zoun
Two Israeli reservists were killed and four severely wounded in an explosion in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the IDF announced on Thursday morning.
“Two Israeli reservists were killed and four severely wounded in an explosion in southern Lebanon”
The Canberra Times reported that an Israeli military official said "an explosion was detonated" on Wednesday when the soldiers entered a site in the village of Majdal Zoun, with the nature of the explosive under review.
The same report said the Israeli army launched strikes on Wednesday in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire and issued a call for residents of the village of Mansouri to flee.
Negotiations continued in Rome as Lebanese and Israeli representatives met under U.S. mediation, with the talks set to resume on Thursday after Wednesday's escalation ended them early.
In the background of the Rome talks, the Canberra Times said Lebanon's health ministry reported one person was killed and 12 wounded in an Israeli strike in the town of Tebnine on Wednesday.
Evacuation Warnings and Claims
The IDF began a wave of precise strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Wednesday after, for the first time since June, issuing an evacuation warning for civilians in the area of the strikes.
The Jerusalem Post quoted the IDF’s Arabic Spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Ella Waweya, issuing the evacuation warning for the village of Al-Mansouri on X/Twitter, instructing all residents to move at least 1,000 meters north of the village.
In a separate account, the TRT World report said Lebanese state-run National News Agency said Israeli strikes on the southern town of Tebnine killed one person and wounded 12 others, while families fled the town of Mansouri after the Israeli army issued an ultimatum to flee.
TRT World also said four seriously wounded soldiers were evacuated by military helicopters to Rambam Medical Center after an explosion targeting an Israeli force in the Majdal Zoun area.
The Canberra Times added that there was no immediate statement from Hezbollah as the escalation unfolded alongside negotiators meeting in Rome.
U.S.-Mediated Talks at Risk
U.S.-brokered negotiations in Rome aimed to shore up a fragile ceasefire and build on a framework agreement signed in June, but the talks were shaped by continued Israeli attacks and the dispute over Hezbollah’s disarmament.
“the session is unlikely to yield further pullbacks as the two sides remain split over disarming Hezbollah”
Al Jazeera reported that Lebanon and Israel were holding a second day of United States-brokered talks in Rome, with a senior Lebanese official saying the session was unlikely to yield further pullbacks because the two sides remained split over disarming Hezbollah.
The Arab Weekly quoted U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott saying, "The United States remains fully committed to supporting both governments as they carry this process forward" toward lasting security and restoring Lebanese state authority throughout the south.
The Arab Weekly also said U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa warned that "moving too quickly risks jeopardising the very civilians this process is meant to protect," as the pilot-zone process and border issues were discussed.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera said Hezbollah was not party to the talks and would pull back from south of the Litani River but would not disarm to the north, where Ali Taher lies.
