Israeli forces advanced deeper into southern Lebanon on Wednesday as heavy airstrikes and ground operations continued across the country, raising fears of a further escalation in the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported dozens of Israeli attacks on areas in the south and east of the country. Initial reports indicated at least 13 people were killed.
In the southern coastal city of Sidon, a drone strike on a vehicle killed two people, according to NNA.
Fighting also continued around the strategically important Beaufort Castle, which Israeli troops captured about a week ago. Lebanese media reported that Israeli attack helicopters targeted Hezbollah fighters near the hilltop fortress with machine-gun fire.
Hezbollah, in turn, claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli positions in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanese security sources, Israeli troops have advanced to the immediate vicinity of Nabatiyeh, one of southern Lebanon's main economic centres.
The sources said Israeli forces are now only a few kilometres from the city centre and appear to be preparing to advance further. About 40,000 people live in Nabatiyeh in the winter, but in summer that can rise to up to 60,000 because many expats return.
But today Nabatiyeh is almost deserted with only about a dozen elderly residents still living there.
The Emergency Operations Centre of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said in a statement that the cumulative overall toll from the conflict from March 2 through June 10 has reached 3,696 people killed and 11,413 people wounded.
Mayor: Officials abducted from Lebanese border town
Separately, local officials in the border town of Kfar Shouba accused Israeli forces of abducting two municipal workers.
Mayor Qassem al-Qadri told dpa that an Israeli patrol detained municipal council member Mohammad Hassan al-Hajj and municipal employee Ahmad Salah Diab while they were operating a water pumping station on the outskirts of the town.
"We have made it clear to all that inside Kfar Shouba there are only civilians who follow the Lebanese government and Lebanese army rules," al-Qadri said. "We simply do not want to leave the town. We want to stay on our land."
He said local authorities had informed the Lebanese government and the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL of the incident and hoped the two men would be released quickly.
"All they were doing was putting fuel in the generator to pump water into the village," he said.
The Israeli army said in response to an inquiry that both men had approached Israeli soldiers. To ensure they posed no threat, they were initially detained and taken to Israel for questioning, an Israeli army spokesman said.
He added that if no suspicion arose against them, they would be released.
Hezbollah, which is also a political party, provides much of the general infrastructure for the population in the areas it controls, including in southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs as well as eastern Lebanon.
The incident came as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended ongoing Lebanese-US-Israeli negotiations aimed at ending hostilities and restoring state authority.
"It is forbidden to return to the era of tutelage, whatever its form," Aoun said. "I took the decision to negotiate and I will continue it until the end."
The president has said a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory would allow the state to extend its authority across the country and strengthen the role of national institutions.
