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.

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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.