The Israeli Air Force has carried out new strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese media outlet Janoubia reports. According to reports from the area, Israeli aircraft attacked targets near the coast, while in the key border town of Hiam, large-scale destruction and explosions were recorded as a result of the ongoing operations. Official statements from the Israeli army indicate that the Golan Brigade forces discovered and destroyed weapons, rocket launchers and ammunition depots of the group.
The escalation coincides with a critical moment in the international mediation to stabilize the region. A US military delegation arrived in Beirut to discuss with the Lebanese army the mechanism for implementing the interim ceasefire agreement agreed at the end of June. The plan calls for Israel to withdraw in stages from the so-called “pilot zones”, where control would be taken over entirely by the official Lebanese armed forces. The Lebanese authorities have made Israel's withdrawal from these areas a mandatory condition for participation in the upcoming new round of negotiations scheduled for next week in Rome. However, Hezbollah has officially rejected the agreement, and the Israeli government insists it will maintain a 10-kilometer security zone until the Shiite organization is fully disarmed. According to the Beirut Health Ministry, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 4,300 people and displaced more than a million Lebanese citizens.