Israel Strikes South Lebanon as Talks Collapse
Israel struck the southern Lebanese town of Majdal Zoun on Thursday, killing at least one person and wounding a dozen, after the collapse of US-brokered talks between the two countries in Rome. Israel said it was responding to a violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah, whose bomb had killed two of its reservists a day earlier. Prime Minister Netanyahu, meanwhile, reaffirmed his rejection of the US plan to disarm Hamas.
The strike underlined how quickly the fragile border truce is fraying now that the Rome negotiations have broken down. Israel blames Hezbollah for the roadside bomb; the group, which had denounced the talks as a “humiliation”, is determined to show it cannot be sidelined. The Lebanese casualty figures could not be independently verified. Coupled with Mr Netanyahu’s hardening stance on Gaza, the violence suggested Washington’s efforts to calm both fronts are stalling. Watch whether the cross-border strikes escalate.