Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday killed at least 22 people, including eight children, as tensions rose ahead of a new round of US-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington.The escalation occurred just before planned direct negotiations in the US capital, despite opposition from the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.Lebanon has asked Washington to pressure Israel to halt its strikes before the talks scheduled for Thursday and Friday.Veteran diplomat Simon Karam will lead Lebanon’s delegation for the first time as Washington seeks a breakthrough between the two sides despite ongoing hostilities.The state-run National News Agency, as cited by AFP, said Israeli airstrikes targeted around 40 locations in southern and eastern Lebanon, with several deadly raids hitting areas south of Beirut.Lebanon’s health ministry said 10 people, including six children, were killed in strikes on three villages in south Lebanon.Earlier, the ministry reported that three strikes on cars along or near the coastal highway around 20 to 30 kilometres south of Beirut “resulted in eight martyrs, including two children.”According to the NNA, two strikes hit cars on the busy highway linking Beirut with southern Lebanon, while a third struck a nearby area.The health ministry also reported four more people killed in strikes targeting four cars in the Tyre district and in Sidon, around 40 kilometres south of Beirut.Since US President Donald Trump announced on April 16 that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a ceasefire, Israeli strikes have killed more than 400 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally based on health ministry figures.Under the ceasefire terms released by Washington, Israel reserves the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks”.Israel’s military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure, weapons storage facilities and rocket launchers in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.Hezbollah claimed several attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, including drone strikes, and said its fighters had “ambushed” and clashed with Israeli forces in one area.The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said it was “increasingly concerned” about Hezbollah and Israeli military activity near UN positions in southern Lebanon.The force said this included “the increased use of drones, which has resulted in explosions in and around our bases and put peacekeepers at risk”.It also reported several recent incidents in which drones believed to belong to Hezbollah exploded near UN positions, including its headquarters in Naqura.On Tuesday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned that his fighters would turn the battlefield into “hell” for Israel.Since Hezbollah entered the wider Middle East conflict in early March, Lebanese authorities say more than 2,800 people, including over 200 children, have been killed. Hezbollah says the toll includes its fighters.
