ANSAR: Lebanon said Israeli strikes in the south killed 11 people, including three children, on Saturday, the deadliest raids since deals in June eased hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel's military said the strikes in the early morning were in retaliation for an attack by the group on its troops in south Lebanon.
They came as Israel and Lebanon were set to hold an eighth round of US-sponsored direct negotiations early next month in Rome. The sides agreed a framework deal at talks in Washington in June, but Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Saturday's "violations are a clear message on the negotiations process and American efforts aiming to implement this agreement".
Hezbollah said the Israeli attacks "will be met with an appropriate response", urging Lebanese authorities to abandon "the humiliating path of direct negotiations". Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said that Israel "escalated its attacks on the south" early on Saturday, reporting an air strike on a home in the village of Ansar and a "series of air strikes targeting the Ali al Taher ridge", a strategic hill overlooking the Nabatieh area. It later reported another strike on the southern town of Deir Zahrani. — AFP
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