BEIRUT (AP) 鈥� Israel’s military clashed with the Iran-backed militant group Tuesday along a strategic river in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops pushed farther north, days ahead of talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli delegations.
A U.S.-brokered appeared more nominal by the day, complicating efforts at a broader peace in the as Tehran wants an agreement to include an end to the fighting in Lebanon.
The Litani River has been a de facto boundary in Lebanon, with large areas to the south under Israeli military control despite the ceasefire that’s been in place for over a month.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after meeting with his defense minister and senior military officials that Israel will expand its operations in Lebanon.
鈥淭he (Israeli Defense Forces) are operating with large forces on the ground and seizing strategic areas,鈥� he said, adding that Israel is trying to fortify , which it says is necessary to protect residents in its northern border towns from Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.
Israeli strike kills 12
Meanwhile, an Israeli security official said the military had called up an additional battalion to Lebanon, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Israel’s military said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah sites across southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley area overnight, adding that it targeted storage facilities, command centers and observation points used to attack Israeli troops and residents in northern Israel.
One strike hit the eastern village of Mashghara, killing 12 people including several members of the same family, Lebanon鈥檚 state-run National 91欧美激情 Agency said.
Israel in recent days has intensified strikes in the city and province of Nabatiyeh, just north of the river. On Tuesday it warned city residents to leave.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it launched several rocket, artillery and exploding drone attacks on Israeli troops and vehicles mobilizing along the river toward the Nabatiyeh villages of Yohmor al-Shaqif and Zawtar al-Sharqieh. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said the militant group repelled attacks along the river banks.
Elsewhere in eastern Lebanon, Israel struck an area near the Qaraoun Dam, the country’s largest along the Litani River. The Litani River Authority said there was no direct damage to the dam.
Beirut, the Lebanese capital, has been spared from strikes since the start of the ceasefire, but Israel’s latest moves have caused fear.
鈥淏y just saying a few words on TV, (Netanyahu) causes everyone to panic and flee their homes,鈥� said Tony Aboud in Beirut鈥檚 bustling Hamra district. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going to happen and how long we can live like this.鈥�
Lebanon hopes for an agreement that will see Israeli withdrawal
The Lebanese government, which came to power on a platform of reform and disarming Hezbollah and other armed groups, hopes that the direct talks with Israel 鈥� which Hezbollah opposes 鈥� will lead to a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Israel says it will not withdraw until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to residents of its northern towns. Hezbollah has vowed to fight until Israel stops its daily airstrikes and withdraws its troops from Lebanon.
In recent weeks, Hezbollah has boasted that it is using new that Israeli troops have struggled to intercept, hitting both Israeli forces and northern Israeli villages.
Israel has told people there not to gather in large numbers.
鈥淲hat this requires of us now is to increase the blows, to increase the intensity. We will smite them hip and thigh,鈥� Netanyahu said Monday.
Over 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced , sparked when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, two days after the Iran war began.
At least 3,213 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the war, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, with over 9,700 wounded.
According to Netanyahu鈥檚 office, 23 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel, the vast majority by drones.
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Associated Press writers Sam Mednick and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Koral Saaed in Herzliya, Israel, and senior video producer Malak Harb in Beirut contributed to this report.
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