Israel reports troop deaths in Lebanon strikes as Rome talks continue

Israel reported its first military fatalities in southern Lebanon in over a month on Thursday, after carrying out fresh strikes despite US-backed talks underway in Rome. The strikes came as Israel and Lebanon negotiate a phased Israeli withdrawal tied to a Hezbollah disarmament deal reached in June.

How many Israeli soldiers died in Lebanon strikes?

The Israeli military identified the two reservists killed in combat on Wednesday as Major Harel Birenstock, 34, and Sergeant Major Tamir Vaknin, 33, both of the 2855th Battalion, 55th Brigade. Their deaths were the first Israeli fatalities reported in southern Lebanon since June 28, when the ceasefire took hold.

Lebanese state media reported that a separate strike killed one person and wounded 11 others. The strikes were accompanied by the Israeli military's first evacuation warning in weeks, issued for the southern town of Mansouri.

Why did Israel strike Mansouri and issue an evacuation warning?

The Israeli military said the strikes responded to what it called a blatant ceasefire violation by Hezbollah. Its Arabic-language spokeswoman, Ella Waweya, posted on X telling Mansouri residents to evacuate their homes immediately and move north.

Mansouri sits roughly nine kilometres south of Tyre and 10 kilometres north of Israel, an area repeatedly struck despite the ceasefire in place since June. The town's municipality allowed residents to return on June 22, but told them to avoid the section that falls within Israel's so-called security zone, a strip of territory about 10 kilometres deep inside southern Lebanon where Israeli forces continue to operate.

The UN's humanitarian agency said the night before the strikes that more than 800,000 people displaced by earlier fighting had begun returning home amid the recent lull in violence, though more than 360,000 remained displaced.

What is happening at the Rome ceasefire talks?

The strikes came as the United States led a seventh round of diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon in Rome, aimed at ending hostilities. Beirut is pressing for a phased Israeli withdrawal from the south as part of the negotiations.

Israel asked for Wednesday's session to end three hours early, according to a source close to the talks, who said Yechiel Leiter, the US ambassador leading the Israeli delegation, blamed misleading leaks by the Lebanese side. Talks were set to resume Thursday for a third and final day.

A US State Department official told AFP the discussions would include expanding the pilot zone process, resolving outstanding border issues and working toward a comprehensive peace and security agreement. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke with his Iranian counterpart as the delegations met, urging Tehran to halt Hezbollah's operations, and said in a post before the strikes that he hoped the talks would yield concrete results.

What did the June ceasefire framework agree to, and how has Hezbollah responded?

Previous US-sponsored talks in June produced a framework deal covering Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as pilot zones.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Tuesday that direct negotiations would bring nothing but shame, humiliation and further concessions for Lebanon. Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected direct talks with Israel and refuses to surrender its weapons.

This week's round is the seventh since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the wider Middle East war in March by firing rockets at Israel in support of Iran. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says has killed more than 4,300 people. Violence has eased since the ceasefire and a preliminary US-Iran agreement signed in June, though Lebanon continues to report intermittent strikes, shelling and demolitions in southern villages. Since the war began in early March, Israel's military has lost 38 soldiers and one civilian contractor.