Israel and Hezbollah exchange strikes as truce violations mount

BEIRUT - At least nine people were killed and three injured on Dec 2 from Israeli strikes on two southern Lebanese towns, Talousa and Haris, as the Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon.

Earlier on Dec 2, the Lebanese authorities reported two additional deaths in Israeli strikes on other parts of southern Lebanon, including a state security member killed while on duty, bringing the day's death toll to 11.

The latest Israeli strikes came shortly after Hezbollah accused Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement and fired missiles on an Israeli military position in the disputed Shebaa Farms area, in what the Iran-backed group called a "defensive warning strike".

Residents in Beirut said they also heard drones flying overhead at low altitudes late in the evening.

The exchange of fire put a US-brokered ceasefire between the two in an increasingly fragile position less than a week after it took effect.

The truce prohibits Israel from conducting offensive military operations in Lebanon while requiring Lebanon to prevent armed groups, including Hezbollah, from launching attacks on Israel.