Washington/Beirut/Jerusalem, June 2 (EFE).- Israeli and Lebanese officials resumed US-mediated talks in Washington on Tuesday as renewed exchanges of fire and deadly Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon threatened a fragile ceasefire and challenged fresh de-escalation efforts announced by US President Donald Trump. Delegations led by Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh, met with US State Department Counselor Michael Needham and Chief of Staff Dan Holler for what is the fourth round of talks between the two sides in the US capital since April 14. The negotiations, which do not include the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, are focused on preserving and expanding a ceasefire that has been in place since mid-April. The talks represent the highest-level engagement between Israel and Lebanon in decades, despite the two countries lacking formal diplomatic relations. The diplomatic effort unfolded amid a sharp deterioration in security conditions on the ground. Hours after Trump announced late Monday that Hezbollah had agreed to halt attacks on Israeli territory in exchange for Israel scaling back its military operations in Lebanon and abandoning plans to strike Beirut’s southern suburbs, both sides resumed hostilities. According to Israeli military sources, the air force intercepted two projectiles launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel in the early hours of Tuesday. No injuries were reported. Israel responded with airstrikes on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Mansouri in the Tyre district and on a house in Al-Hosh, near Tyre. Lebanese authorities said two people were rescued from the rubble following the attack in Al-Hosh. The violence intensified throughout the day, with Lebanese authorities reporting at least 10 fatalities in a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Civil Defense said it recovered six bodies from the rubble of a building struck in Marwaniyeh, where rescue operations had continued since late Monday. Three injured people were also rescued. Lebanon’s Emergency Operations Center said two of those killed were children. The Lebanese University separately confirmed the death of one of its students, Theodosia James Karam, who was killed when the vehicle carrying her and her parents was hit on the Khardali Bridge road. Local media reported that her parents also died in the attack while she was travelling to sit university examinations. Another person was killed in a separate strike targeting a vehicle between Harouf and Toul, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Additional Israeli bombardments were reported in Al Haniyeh and Ghandouriya, while artillery fire struck Nabatieh Al Fawqa, Kfar Ruman, Shoukin and Kfar Tebnit. The Lebanese Civil Defense also said one of its centres in Kfar Sir was directly hit by an Israeli strike, causing damage to facilities and equipment but no casualties. Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching missiles at an Israeli tank near the southern Lebanese town of Haddatha, where clashes between the group and Israeli forces continue. Despite the renewed fighting, diplomatic efforts persisted. Later on Tuesday, the Lebanese Embassy in Washington said Beirut had received confirmation that Hezbollah had accepted a US-backed proposal establishing a reciprocal ceasefire with Israel. Trump’s administration has linked stability in Lebanon to broader regional diplomatic initiatives, including ongoing negotiations with Iran, a key backer of Hezbollah. Tehran previously announced the suspension of talks with Washington in response to Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, reiterated that Israel would continue targeting what it describes as terrorist threats if attacks from Hezbollah persist. Washington has intensified efforts to prevent a broader escalation, with Trump speaking by phone with Netanyahu on Monday following Israeli strikes near Beirut and ahead of the latest round of negotiations. The talks in Washington are expected to continue through Wednesday as mediators seek to shore up a ceasefire that remains under growing strain from continued violence on both sides of the border. EFE njd-mfh-er-pd-tw-sk