Israeli strikes kill 9 in southern Lebanon, state media says

Nine people were killed, and three others were injured, on Wednesday in Israeli airstrikes targeting multiple areas in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Civil Defence teams and the Islamic Risala Scout Association recovered four bodies and rescued three wounded from the rubble after an airstrike hit the Al-Khodra complex in the Qadmous area, the agency said. In the town of Ansariyeh, five people were killed in a dawn strike, the agency reported. Another Israeli attack struck a vehicle in the Saadiyat area in Mount Lebanon, it added. The US, Israel and Lebanon agreed to begin direct negotiations after a trilateral meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, according to a statement released following the session. Read: Israel presses assault on Lebanon on eve of talks Lebanese ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh, and Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter, represented their countries during the meeting at the State Department. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also doubles as US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Counsellor Michael Needham and US envoy to the UN Mike Waltz represented the Trump administration. The talks, the first direct diplomatic engagement between the two countries in more than 30 years, came as Israel continues an air and ground offensive in southern Lebanon, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing a million others. Israel began striking Hezbollah after the group retaliated to US-Israeli attacks on Iran in early March. Pakistan condemned Israeli attacks in Lebanon during a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the United Nations, calling for an immediate ceasefire and uninterrupted humanitarian access to the affected areas. Addressing the ambassadorial-level session held at the UN Headquarters, Deputy Permanent Representative Usman Jadoon warned that the humanitarian situation in Lebanon was rapidly deteriorating. He stated that the ongoing Israeli bombardment, particularly in southern Lebanon and densely populated areas, was severely harming civilians and leading to widespread destruction of critical infrastructure. ANADOLU AGENCY with input from Web Desk