Israeli soldier killed, three injured in clashes in southern Lebanon

One Israeli soldier was killed, and three others were injured in clashes in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army said on Tuesday. The injured included one soldier in moderate condition and two with slight injuries, the army said. The incident comes as Israel continues an expanded offensive in southern Lebanon following a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,089 people and wounded 6,762 others. Read: Israeli airstrikes kill 22 more in Lebanon Beirut and Tel Aviv are set to hold their first meeting on Tuesday at the US State Department in Washington aimed at securing a ceasefire and launching direct talks. Both sides are under pressure from Trump to bring about an ​end to the fighting, a key demand by Iran in parallel talks due last weekend in Pakistan. Israeli troops launched an attack on Monday to seize a key town in south Lebanon from Hezbollah fighters holed up there, pressing the war on the Iran-backed group on the eve of rare talks between Israeli and Lebanese government envoys. Lebanon's foreign minister said Beirut would use face-to-face negotiations to press for a ceasefire in the war, which has complicated wider diplomacy to halt the conflict in the Middle East. But the outlook for the meeting - an unusual, face-to-face encounter between countries formally in a state of war - is uncertain. Israel has said it will not discuss a ceasefire, while Hezbollah has objected to negotiations with Israel, reflecting sharply worsening political tensions in Lebanon.