Israel, Hezbollah exchange strikes as ceasefire violations mount

At least nine people were killed and three injured on Monday from Israeli strikes on two southern Lebanese towns, Talousa and Haris, as the Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets across the country.

Earlier on Monday, Lebanese authorities reported two additional deaths, including that of a state security member, in Israeli strikes on other parts of southern Lebanon, bringing the day's death toll to 11.

The latest Israeli strikes came shortly after Hezbollah accused Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement and fired missiles on an Israeli military position in the disputed Shebaa Farms area in what the Iran-backed group called a "defensive warning strike."

The exchange of fire put the ceasefire between the two in an increasingly fragile position less than a week after it took effect.

The Israeli military reported no casualties from Hezbollah's two missile launches but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a "strong" response.

Hezbollah said its rocket fire, the first operation the group had announced since the ceasefire came into effect last week, was in retaliation for repeated Israeli violations of the truce.

Lebanese speaker of parliament Nabih Berri, who negotiated the truce on behalf of Lebanon, said Beirut had recorded at least 54 ceasefire violations by Israel since November 27.

Berri urged the committee tasked with monitoring the truce to "urgently" ensure Israel halts its breaches.

Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah's Political Council, slammed on Monday Israel's ceasefire violations, calling on countries supervising the deal to assume their responsibilities by pressuring Israel to stop its breaches.

"Hezbollah does not want the return or expansion of the war. Hezbollah has been respecting the agreement, and countries supervising the deal shall bear responsibilities for these violations, which no one can bear," Qomati said in an interview with Lebanese TV channel Al-Jadeed.

UN humanitarians said on Monday that with the ceasefire in Lebanon, their colleagues and partners are aiding displaced people returning home.

According to the International Organization for Migration, nearly 580,000 people began returning to their communities in the first 24 hours after the ceasefire.

Over 28,000 people have crossed from Syria into Lebanon since November 27, according to the UN Refugee Agency in Syria. More than 560,000 people have crossed into Syria from Lebanon since late September.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said challenges to those returning home include damaged infrastructure, limited services, safety concerns and the threat of unexploded ordnance.

The World Health Organization reported prioritizing repairs to 14 hospitals and addressing the risk of disease outbreaks.

Meanwhile, delegations from the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and Hamas held a new round of talks in Cairo on Monday to discuss the future management of the war-torn Gaza Strip, a senior Fatah official told Xinhua.

The negotiations, held under Egyptian sponsorship, are proceeding smoothly amid a positive atmosphere, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, added.

The ongoing talks are a continuation of previous discussions between the two movements in the Egyptian capital. In October, Fatah and Hamas agreed in Cairo to form a temporary, non-political committee to oversee services in the Gaza Strip, including managing the Rafah border crossing.

(With input from agencies)