Israel, Hezbollah trade deadly blows despite ceasefire talks
PHOTO CAPTION: An Israeli sniper is seen during training, January 2018. (Israeli Defense Forces photo by Sgt. Eden Briand via Flickr)
By Crispian Balmer and Laila Bassam
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) -Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah traded deadly blows on Thursday as their war raged on despite signs of progress in U.S. ceasefire efforts, with airstrikes pounding Beirut's southern suburbs and rockets flying into northern Israel.
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein was in Israel for talks with Israeli officials to try to secure a ceasefire which he declared was "within our grasp" on a visit to Beirut earlier this week.
Indicating gaps remain, a senior Lebanese official told Reuters that Beirut had sought changes to the U.S. ceasefire proposal, to include ensuring a speedier withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon.
The diplomacy marks the most serious attempt yet to end the conflict between Israel and the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, part of the regional spillover of the Gaza war that erupted more than a year ago.
In southern Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike killed three people in the village of Chaaitiyeh, some 10 km (6 miles) from the border, the Lebanese health ministry said.
In Israel, a 30-year-old man was killed when shrapnel from a rocket struck a playground in the northern town of Nahariya, Israel's MDA medical service said.
"The Israeli government is not safeguarding my security, my residents or the residents of the north (of Israel). It is not possible to live in such a situation like this," Nahariya Mayor Ronen Marelly told public broadcaster Kan.
The Israeli military said about 10 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Nahariya. "Most of the projectiles were intercepted and fallen projectiles were identified," the military said in a statement.
Channel 12 said three rockets hit the coastal town.
Hezbollah's al-Manar television station, citing its correspondent, confirmed rocket fire towards Nahariya and the surrounding area.
BLASTS SEND UP CLOUDS OF DEBRIS
Airstrikes on Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs shook the capital, with at least 10 powerful blasts sending up thick clouds of debris.
The Israeli military issued a statement on X ahead of strikes warning residents they were near Hezbollah targets against which it would soon take action. Residents have largely fled the area since Israel went on the offensive in September.
White House envoy Hochstein left for Israel after declaring progress during two days of talks in Lebanon with officials including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, endorsed to negotiate by the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Speaking before he left Beirut, Hochstein said he was going to Israel to try to close an agreement if possible.
The diplomacy aims to end a conflict that has inflicted massive devastation in Lebanon since Israel began its offensive, mounting airstrikes across wide parts of the country and sending in troops.
Footage broadcast by Al Jazeera showed thick smoke rising from the town of Khiyam in southern Lebanon, some 6 km (4 miles) from the border, a focal point of ground battles between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops.
Israel says its aim is to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people evacuated from its north due to rocket attacks by Hezbollah, which opened fire in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Hezbollah, which has suffered major blows since Israel began its offensive in September, has kept up rocket fire into Israel, attacking Tel Aviv this week. Its fighters are battling Israeli troops on the ground in the south.
The casualty toll since Oct., 2023 stands at 3,558 people killed in Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry says, most of them killed during the Israeli offensive since September. The figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The ministry said 14 fatalities were reported on Tuesday.
Hezbollah strikes have killed more than 100 people in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They include more than 70 soldiers killed in strikes in northern Israel and the Golan Heights and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israel.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul in Jerusalem; Tom Perry in Beirut; Clauda Tanios and Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by William Maclean)
