Israeli strikes kill 12 in Lebanon on eve of US peace talks

Israel launched a wave of strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people on the eve of a third round of peace talks in Washington. Two children were among the dead in strikes that mainly hit vehicles, according to Lebanese officials. The targets appeared to go well beyond the main theatre of conflict in the south, with cars struck on a coastal ​road 20km south of Beirut . UN peacekeepers warned drone warfare between Israel and Hezbollah was putting their operations at risk. Four suspected Hezbollah drones have exploded near their headquarters this week, some “within metres”, said peacekeeping force Unifil. Hezbollah announced new attacks on Israeli forces in the south, including several using kamikaze drones. Lebanon has become the main stage of fighting in the region since the US and Israel halted strikes on Iran in early April. Shipping bosses, meanwhile, revealed 38 vessels have come under attack since Iran blocked passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Eleven people have been killed, and 20,000 seafarers have been unable to leave the Arabian Gulf. The International Maritime Organisation said a “handful” of ships had been able to change their crews but that tens of thousands would remain on board until it was safe to cross the channel. Attacks have continued despite the US-Iran ceasefire being extended indefinitely. In Lebanon, the ceasefire was initially declared for 10 days and then extended by three weeks, meaning it could expire on May 17. It emerged from the highest-level contacts between Lebanon and Israel in decades, with Washington hosting two meetings between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors so far. Further talks are to take place on Thursday and Friday in Washington. The US says the aim of the third set of meetings is to push for a “comprehensive ​peace and security agreement”. Hezbollah strongly ​opposes the face-to-face contacts. A State Department official told The National that President Donald Trump “has been clear that direct engagement between the two countries is the best way to swiftly advance a lasting peace and security agreement”. “Hezbollah is still trying to derail negotiations with attacks on Israel and threats inside of Lebanon,” the official said. “We are working to create the conditions and political momentum needed to move this forward.” The Israeli army on Wednesday ordered residents to leave nine more towns and villages where it intended to act against the group. Hezbollah and Israel have been trading blows throughout the ceasefire, with hostilities concentrated on southern Lebanon where Israeli forces occupy a self-proclaimed ⁠security zone. The Lebanese health ministry said eight people were killed in the attacks on the coastal road. Three died in strikes on cars in the Tyre district, and one near the southern city of Sidon. More than 10 weeks into ⁠the war that spiralled out of the Iran conflict, Hezbollah confirmed that the commander of its elite Radwan force was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs last week. A Hezbollah funeral notice confirmed the death of the “martyr commander” Ahmed Ghaleb Ballout. Israel had announced his killing last week in its first attack on Beirut since the April 16 ceasefire.