Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says it has fired rockets and drones into northern Israel, accusing the Israeli military of violating a ceasefire ahead of US-mediated talks between the Israeli and Lebanese governments.
The Israeli military earlier said Iran-aligned Hezbollah had fired several rockets toward its troops operating in southern Lebanon, in what it described as a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement.
It was not immediately clear if the incidents were the same.
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah mediated by the US came into effect last Thursday but Israeli forces remain deployed in a belt of Lebanese land 5 to 10km deep along the entire border.
Israel has said it aims to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, in its statement on Tuesday, accused Israel of attacking civilians and destroying homes in breach of the truce.
It said it fired at a position in northern Israel that had been striking southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it struck the launcher from which the rockets were fired, and that sirens in northern Israel were likely sounded after the interception of a drone launched from Lebanon.
The Israeli military did not respond to a question on whether Hezbollah’s announced attack was the same as the one the Israeli military had announced earlier.
On Thursday, the US will host a second round of ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon, which was dragged into war on March 2 when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Iran in the regional conflict.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanon’s most senior Shi’ite statesman and a Hezbollah ally, earlier told Lebanese newspaper al-Joumhouria that Israeli forces occupying parts of the south would face resistance.
If Israel “maintains its occupation, whether of areas, positions, or by drawing yellow lines, it will smell the scent of resistance every day,” said Mr Berri, leader of the Shi’ite Amal Movement.
The Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both referred to Israel’s deployment line in Lebanon as the “Yellow Line” last week - the same term used by Israel for its deployment line in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials have since refrained from describing it in those terms, instead calling it a “forward defence line” that was marked in red in a military map published on Sunday that included a “naval forward defence area” extending from Lebanon’s coast into the sea.
The Israeli military has been carrying out demolitions in southern villages since the ceasefire, saying it is acting against Hezbollah infrastructure embedded in civilian areas.
Lebanese state media on Tuesday reported new Israeli detonations in at least eight villages and Israeli artillery shelling in several areas.
Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000 after a 22-year occupation, during which Hezbollah, Amal and other groups waged attacks against Israeli forces.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed nearly 2300 since March 2, Lebanese authorities say.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails