Israeli attacks kill dozens within days in Lebanon despite ceasefire

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed 20 people on Sunday, Lebanon's health ministry says - marking one of the deadliest few days there since a ceasefire began just over two weeks ago.

It brings to 77 the number of those killed since Thursday, according to the ministry. Israel says it is targeting the armed Shia Islamist group Hezbollah.

The Lebanese casualty figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. However, two of the dead and 14 of the injured are children.

Israel says 17 of its soldiers have been killed during the same period and accuses Hezbollah of firing hundreds of rockets and drones. Both sides accuse the other of violations, and diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have so far failed.

On Monday, Israeli Army spokesman Avichay Adraee urged residents in several villages to move at least 1km (0.6 miles) from their homes.

The villages are all located outside the "yellow line"- a strip of Israeli-occupied territory extending roughly 10km from the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Israel says it continues to operate against threats, and which it regards as outside the terms of the ceasefire.

The Israeli military maintains that the agreement permits it to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks". Lebanese officials dispute that interpretation and accuse Israel of repeated violations.

Hezbollah has also acknowledged carrying out a series of attacks, including drone strikes on Israeli soldiers in Naqoura, in the south of Lebanon close to the Israeli border, and rocket fire at troops in Qantara - in the south-east of the country. The group described those attacks as retaliation for Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanese villages.

Hezbollah also claimed earlier strikes using artillery and what it called "kamikaze drones".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the growing threat posed by Hezbollah's drone capabilities, warning that it "will take time" to address.

Rounds of talks between Israel and Lebanon in the US, though symbolically significant as the first direct ambassador-level contact in decades, have produced no tangible results on the ground.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has called on Israel to fully implement the ceasefire before any further negotiations can proceed.

In an address Monday morning, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem was dismissive of the diplomatic process.

"Direct negotiations are a free concession without results, serving the interests of Netanyahu who seeks a symbolic image of victory, and serving [US President Donald] Trump ahead of midterm elections," he said.

This has become a key challenge for mediators: Hezbollah sees talks as benefiting its opponents, while Israel says a level of continued military action is needed to uphold the ceasefire.

Lebanon's health ministry puts the total killed in the country since 2 March, when the latest fighting began, at more than 2,600.