Israel launches new attacks and advances in southern Lebanon amid negotiations

The war in Iran completes three months with a new wave of attacks in the midst of the ceasefire
Clashes between Israel and pro-Iran Hezbollah are almost daily, despite the truce decreed on April 17, which has never been respected. This Saturday morning (30), the Israeli army warned the inhabitants of more than a dozen Lebanese villages to leave their homes before the attacks.
The bombings hit several locations in the south, according to the Lebanese National Information Agency (Ani, official).
Download GloboPop to watch short vertical videos from Globo
The Lebanese army reported that a "targeted" Israeli drone attack hit and seriously injured two of its soldiers, who were in a vehicle, near the southern city of Nabatieh.
Artillery fire also occurred near the medieval fortress of Beaufort. The day before, the Lebanese Minister of Culture had warned of the "serious danger" that Israeli attacks pose to the country's historical heritage.
Hezbollah, in turn, claimed the launch of rockets towards northern Israel. The Israeli army claimed to have intercepted several projectiles, with the exception of a rocket that fell on its territory, without causing injuries.
Lebanon condemns offensive
In a statement, the President and Prime Minister of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam, denounced "Israel's reprehensible practices", "the expansion" of its attacks, especially in the regions of Tire and Nabatieh, as well as the "continuation of bombings and destruction with the use of tractors in homes and historical sites".
Israel this week declared much of southern Lebanon a "combat zone". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israeli soldiers "crossed" the Litani River on Friday, located about 30 kilometers from the border.
In recent days, air and ground operations against southern Lebanese territory have been intensified and are targeting Hezbollah, which Israel wants to disarm. The Shiite movement refuses and opposes any negotiations between the Lebanese government and Israel.
Negotiations Military delegations from the two countries met on Friday (29), in Washington, to prepare a new round of negotiations, the fourth since the start of the war in early March. The discussions are scheduled for June 2 and 3.
The initiative comes amid difficult negotiations between the United States and Iran, which demands the inclusion of the end of hostilities on the Lebanese front in any agreement aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
Since the start of the war in March, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed 3,355 people and left more than a million people displaced, according to authorities. In the last week alone, 15 children were killed and 62 injured, according to Unicef.
Lebanon and Israel began, in April, under the mediation of the United States, unprecedented negotiations to reach a security agreement.
Friday's military meeting, considered "constructive" by the Pentagon, will serve "as a basis for the political component", which should be discussed in meetings scheduled for June 2 and 3, according to US Deputy Secretary of Defense, Elbridge Colby.
The Lebanese president told the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, that a truce is a "mandatory step" for any progress in negotiations.
Smoke rises from southern Lebanon after attacks Israelis, view of Nabatieh, Lebanon
REUTERS

Source: G1