Israeli blasts, drone flights hit Lebanon as 6th round of Rome talks with Israel continues

The Israeli army continued its attacks on southern Lebanon on Wednesday, carrying out a series of explosions in border towns as the sixth round of Rome talks between Lebanon and Israel entered its second day.

Israeli forces carried out a large explosion at around 3 am (0000GMT) in the eastern neighborhood of Khiam in Marjayoun district, before carrying out another blast in the town of Qantara in the same district later in the morning, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said.

The agency said Israeli forces also conducted wide-scale explosions targeting valleys and homes in the town of Beit Yahoun in Bint Jbeil district.

The blasts coincided with Israeli bulldozing of roads leading from Bint Jbeil city to the border town of Maroun al-Ras.

Separately, Israeli forces opened fire toward residents as they tried to check their orchards near the towns of Majdal Zoun and Mansouri in southern Lebanon. No injuries were reported.

Israeli drones also continued flying over Beirut and its southern suburbs.

The escalation came as the sixth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel resumed in Rome under US sponsorship.

The Italian capital has been hosting a sixth round of direct negotiations since Tuesday, following five rounds in Washington, DC, that resulted in the signing of a framework agreement.

The framework deal provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory beginning with two “pilot areas.”

Earlier, a US State Department spokesperson also confirmed that the talks in Rome were “productive and held in a positive atmosphere.”

The agreement does not set a timetable for the withdrawal and links it to the Lebanese army assuming full security responsibility in areas vacated by Israeli forces and the disarmament of non-state armed groups, with specific reference to the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

The Rome talks come as Israel continues attacks in Lebanon, which have killed at least 4,324 people, injured 12,223, and displaced more than 1 million since March 2, according to official Lebanese figures.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023-24 war.