Lebanon reported on Wednesday that Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in the country's south, including two paramedics, while another raid targeted a car near Beirut. The Israeli military said it intercepted a hostile aircraft and two projectiles crossing from Lebanon.
Strikes and Casualties
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said an Israeli strike hit a car on the Khaldeh road. An AFP correspondent saw an ambulance and onlookers at the site, located on the main highway heading south from the capital. The NNA reported strikes on more than 20 locations in the south, with some preceded by evacuation warnings.
The health ministry said an attack on Al-Hawsh near Tyre killed four Syrians and two Palestinians. An Israeli military spokesperson said they were unaware of such an attack in that area. Another strike targeted an ambulance, killing two paramedics from the Risala Scouts Association, affiliated with the Amal movement, a Hezbollah ally. The ministry shared images of a badly damaged ambulance with medical masks scattered on the road. At least 130 emergency and health workers have died since the fighting began.
Military Casualties
Lebanon's army said a soldier was killed in an Israeli strike, while an officer and a soldier were wounded in a separate attack on a military vehicle. The army condemned Israel's deliberate targeting of personnel, vehicles, and positions.
Hezbollah and Israeli Warnings
Israeli officials have warned they will strike Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, if the group targets northern Israeli communities, a stance they say has US backing. Hezbollah said its fighters attacked Israeli troops in southern Lebanon but has not claimed a cross-border attack since Monday.
Israeli and Lebanese diplomats are holding a second day of direct talks in Washington, the fourth round since fighting erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah entered the Middle East war on Iran's side with rocket fire. Hezbollah opposes the direct negotiations.
Situation in Tyre
On Tuesday, Israel alleged Hezbollah members were operating in Tyre's Christian quarter, an area spared evacuation warnings and strikes, and warned it would order evacuations if they remained. An AFP correspondent said Tyre was calm Wednesday morning, with some who had slept in cars or tents at the quarter's edge leaving. The mayor toured the area with a Lebanese army intelligence officer and a Christian clergy member to reassure residents.
A petition calling for Tyre to be declared an open city free of armed presence and urging military deployment has over 180 signatures, including lawyers and intellectuals. Some signatories have faced social media attacks. A similar petition in Nabatieh has over 200 signatures.
Ceasefire Efforts
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he brokered a deal that would initially halt Israeli attacks on Beirut and Hezbollah attacks on Israeli territory, then expand. Senior Hezbollah official Mahmud Qomati said the group will not accept a partial ceasefire. Tehran has insisted any deal to end the wider Middle East war must include Lebanon, noting Israel's expanding campaign threatens a US-Iran ceasefire in the Gulf.
