A man sits outside his damaged house in a village in Lebanon, on Wednesday. MOHAMMED ZAATARI/AP
JERUSALEM — Israel reported on Thursday its first military fatalities in southern Lebanon in more than a month, after carrying out fresh strikes despite ongoing US-backed talks in Rome aimed at ending hostilities.
The military identified the two reservists, who were killed on Wednesday, as Harel Birenstock, 34, and Tamir Vaknin, 33.
The deaths were the first Israeli fatalities reported in southern Lebanon since June 28.
The Israeli strikes, accompanied by the first evacuation warning in weeks, came as United States-led diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon in Rome aimed at putting an end to hostilities, with Beirut seeking phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south.
