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booksellers suspect AI firms behind bulk ordersEtna alert lowered as Catania airport reopensFuneral held for Indigenous girl whose death sparked outback riotsIran rejects US claim to Hormuz as ship attacks mount600 drones head for Moscow as Russia strikes Kyiv and Kryvyi RihDeath toll passes 50 after magnitude 7.7 quake off FloresIsraeli strikes kill 11 in south Lebanon, deadliest since June truceColombia asks Trump to suspend tariffs as quake toll climbsRhine hits record low at Kaub as Hungary sinks barges to cool reactorUS readies unprecedented economic measures against IranUS boat strikes pass 200 dead as Ecuadorean fishermen describe attacksBond traders struggle to price $70bn of credit backstops behind AI buildoutAlibaba says its open AI models passed three billion downloadsDeath toll rises to 68 after Lake Kariba ferry sinkingTaliban mark five years in power as UN warns of rights crisisEU aircraft join fight against Belgium's record wildfireUS presses Netanyahu over settlers as Qusra homes are occupiedMokha port halts operations as Houthi missiles hit MaribSeoul proposes talks to end the Korean war as North rejects drillsChina-led perovskite solar plant outperforms silicon in three-month field testOpenAI revenue run rate passes $40bn as revenue chief departsHamas leader in Cairo as Kushner trip nearsWHO says Congo's Ebola outbreak is outpacing the responseTurkish parliament passes amnesty law for PKK membersMorocco detains scores near Ceuta as feared mass crossing fails to materialiseChina publishes ecology reports to bolster South China Sea claimsMyanmar says more than 300,000 Rohingya verified for repatriationPetrobras detects signs of oil off the mouth of the AmazonChina condemns Japanese politicians' moves at Yasukuni ShrineUS inflation cools as wages again lag behind pricesModi offers free exam coaching after youth protests in IndiaOil from grounded Russian tanker reaches Oman's coastPanama Canal cuts draught again as Mexico pitches rival corridorUkraine's idle ports cost $1.75bn as farm exports fallFormer Chinese premier Zhu Rongji diesAt least 20 killed in communal clashes in central NigeriaIran accuses Qatar of holding three of its pilotsXi calls for shift to prevention as floods batter ChinaVenezuela frees 131 more political prisonersMore Syrians in Germany lose refugee protectionAudit finds gaps in Taiwan's counter-drone defencesIndia drafts rules to open nuclear power to private firmsHichilema takes early lead as Zambian count resumesParis prosecutors open investigation into tax portal hackReport details leverage behind Situational Awareness lossesArgentina has lost 30,633 companies under MileiAt least five dead in Indiana floodingIran detains two French diplomats over alleged infiltrationCanadian petition to expel US ambassador passes 170,000 signaturesIndia raises $50bn from its diaspora and ends swap facility earlyOpaque start-ups build erotic AI industry from Cyprus and MaltaBritain's biggest EV battery plant shelves expansion as Jaguar Land Rover talks stallThird drone debris find in a day on Turkish coastsForecasters put 95 percent odds on a very strong El NiñoSecondhand booksellers suspect AI firms behind bulk ordersEtna alert lowered as Catania airport reopensFuneral held for Indigenous girl whose death sparked outback riots
Bota
Symbolic image: Israel strikes south Lebanon after first soldier deaths since ceasefireSymbolic image

Israel strikes south Lebanon after first soldier deaths since ceasefire

6 sources

Israel resumed air and artillery attacks in southern Lebanon after two of its soldiers were killed by an explosive device on Wednesday. The strikes ran alongside US-mediated talks with Lebanon in Rome that brought little movement.

What happened

  • The device detonated as Israeli troops entered a building in Majdal Zoun; four soldiers were also wounded.
  • These were the first Israeli military deaths in Lebanon since 28 June, the army said.
  • UNIFIL counted 113 Israeli projectiles on Wednesday, 5 August, the highest single-day figure since 21 June.
  • Lebanon's health ministry reported one person killed and 20 wounded in 24 hours, including a drone strike in Tibnin.
  • Israel bombarded Mansouri and Burj al-Shamali overnight into Thursday, after ordering Mansouri residents to move 1km north.

The view from outside

Breitbart (US) is the only source citing the UN human rights chief, who said the demolition of southern Lebanese towns raises "huge flags" about compliance with international humanitarian law, and Israel's defence minister, who said all buildings in 24 Lebanese villages were destroyed. Al Jazeera (Qatar) reports the Israeli military demolishing homes and burning olive groves, which critics call an ethnic cleansing campaign.

What could happen next

  • Whether the bomb was planted before or after the June truce is unclear; a Hezbollah source declined to claim or deny responsibility.
  • The June framework's "pilot zones" have produced no significant Israeli withdrawal; Lebanon demands an end to strikes and demolitions.
  • A Lebanese source said Israel may allow only Red Cross visits to Lebanese detainees instead of releases.
  • Families from Mansouri remain outside the town, among more than 800,000 displaced who had begun returning.
How the camps see it

  • Israel: Hezbollah's "blatant" ceasefire breaches compel forceful action, and any withdrawal depends on the group being disarmed.

  • Lebanon: Seeks a phased Israeli withdrawal and says Israel has made no meaningful concession in seven rounds while its attacks obstruct the deal.

  • Hezbollah: Refuses to join the talks or surrender its weapons, saying direct negotiations bring Lebanon only "shame, humiliation" and concessions.

Also involved

United States

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