The Israeli army continued its military operations in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, carrying out a series of explosions in border towns, coinciding with the start of the second day of the sixth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome, under US auspices. The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli forces carried out a large explosion at dawn on Wednesday in the eastern neighborhood of Khiam, in the Marjeyoun district, followed by another explosion in the town of Qantara. Additional explosions targeted valleys and houses in Beit Yahoun, in the Bint Jbeil district, while roads leading to the border town of Maroun al-Ras were bulldozed.
The agency added that Israeli forces fired at a number of residents as they attempted to inspect their orchards in the vicinity of Majdal Zoun and Mansouri, without causing any injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli drones continued to fly over Beirut and its southern suburbs.
This escalation on the ground comes as the sixth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations resumed in Rome, after a high-ranking Lebanese official described the first day of talks on Tuesday as “positive.”
