Israel hits more Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

TEL AVIV: Israel's military said on Wednesday that it had struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as it presses ahead with its aerial and ground war there despite the US-Iran ceasefire.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported airstrikes and artillery shelling in multiple southern Lebanese locations on Wednesday, including near Bint Jbeil, where Israeli forces have encircled Hezbollah fighters.

The fighting in the south has continued after Israeli and Lebanese officials concluded their first direct talks in decades. Lebanese officials want a ceasefire to halt fighting that has displaced more than 1 million people in their country, while Israel wants the Lebanese government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah.

Prominent Hezbollah legislator calls for referendum on the Shiite militant group

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah has harshly criticised the Lebanese government's rare direct talks in Washington with Israel as “disgraceful” and urged Lebanon to hold a public referendum to determine the future of Hezbollah's arsenal.

Fadlallah said that if the Lebanese government “truly wants to prove it reflects the aspirations of the Lebanese people, then it should accept a popular referendum” rather than negotiating with Israel on Hezbollah's disarmament. He accused Lebanon of giving Israel a political platform with the talks “at a time when it is killing Lebanese people and committing massacres.”

“The enemy is the one benefiting,” he said.

He said he would expect a popular referendum on Hezbollah to show that “a majority of the Lebanese people” support the militant group's campaign against Israel.

Some Israelis cast doubt over the future of their country's talks with Lebanon

In the streets of northern Israel, in the border town of Kiryat Shmona near Lebanon, some Israelis feel wary that the ongoing talks with Lebanon may not bring about a decisive victory against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

“Hezbollah is much stronger than the Lebanese army, nothing will come out of it,” said Eli Mizrahi, as residents believe that Israel should not retreat until a decisive victory is realized in Lebanon.

Resident of Kiryat Shmona Bruria Danino said she will only “feel calm” when Hezbollah is eliminated, while the majority voiced their inconvenience from the constant sounds of sirens, warning them of incoming fire from Lebanon.

Fighting renewed between Hezbollah and Israel on Mar. 2, when the militant group fired rockets into northern Israel. At least 2,124 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, the country's Health Ministry said.