Israel responds to soldier deaths with South Lebanon strikes

Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries.

The Rome talks, which began on Tuesday and are expected to continue through Thursday, come after the two countries agreed in June to a U.S.-brokered security arrangement intended to ease hostilities along the border.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel declared a buffer zone in southern Lebanon where its troops continue to operate to eliminate what it says is the threat of the Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, on its border.

The two soldiers were killed and four others wounded by an explosion in a building they had entered as part of a security sweep, according to Israel's Army Radio on Thursday.

Citing a security source, Army Radio said that it was still unclear when the explosive device had been planted in the building, whether it was before or after the ceasefire.

The Israeli military on Wednesday initially described the incident as "a blatant ceasefire violation" by Hezbollah, for which it launched a series of retaliatory strikes in southern Lebanon.

But on Thursday, in a statement mourning the death of the soldiers, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz did not mention Hezbollah or a ceasefire violation, suggesting Israel was not looking to escalate attacks.

The Israeli military’s website shows the last date a soldier was killed in southern Lebanon was June 28.

The Lebanese health ministry said on Wednesday one person was killed and 12 others were wounded in an Israeli strike on the southern town of Tibnin, about 25 km (15 miles) from Mansouri, for which the Israeli military had issued an evacuation warning - the first online warning for Lebanon in more than a month.