The Israeli army has carried out strikes in southern Lebanon in response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hezbollah, after issuing its first forced displacement order in weeks.
In a statement, the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire agreement and said Israeli forces were “compelled to act forcefully” against the group.
The army ordered residents of Mansouri village to leave their homes immediately and move at least 1,000 metres north of the village to open areas.
It is the first wave of strikes and forced displacement order in weeks, and came as direct talks between Lebanon and Israel resumed for a second day in Rome.
Widespread Israeli attacks had already struck the Mansouri region throughout the day, highlighting the extremely delicate situation in south Lebanon despite the Rome talks.
Artillery shelling on the Zebqine Valley also caused wildfires, while state media reported that the Israeli military set fire to forests and fruit trees in the occupied village Houla, with the flames spreading to the western neighbourhoods of the town.
The forced displacement orders are a grim reminder of the all-out war earlier this year between Hezbollah and Israel, which forced more than a million to flee their homes.
Lebanon had entered the Rome talks seeking to show progress made in “pilot zones”, where Israel's army gradually withdraws from dozens of villages and towns it has occupied and the Lebanese army assumes control. Lebanon is demanding that Israel halt its extensive destruction and attacks on south Lebanon.
But instead the opposite appears to have happened on Wednesday while the talks were under way. Beirut has accused Israel of taking repeated actions that it says impedes implementation of the framework agreed to in Washington on June 26.
Three villages are included in the first stage of the pilot zone scheme: Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh, Srifa and Froun. Although the last two were not occupied by Israel during its latest round of conflict with Hezbollah, the Lebanese army has the difficult task of verifying the disarmament of the group in the areas it takes over.
