Israeli air raids on southern Lebanon escalate ahead of new round of talks expected next week in Washington, DC.

Israeli air raids have killed at least 20 people in southern Lebanon, including a civil defence rescuer, according to Lebanese state-run media, despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

A Lebanese health ministry statement said an Israeli air strike killed four people, including two women, and injured eight others in the town of Toura in Tyre district on Friday.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said rescue operations were still ongoing to search for a missing girl beneath the rubble.

It also reported that Lebanese Red Cross teams recovered the bodies of two missing young men following Israeli air strikes on Thursday on the town of Blat in the Marjayoun district.

According to NNA, raids also hit the districts of Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil and Sidon, among others on Friday. Several people were reported killed in various towns and villages.

An Israeli army drone also targeted a car on the road connecting Kfarchuba and Kfarhamam in the Hasbaya district, killing a civil defence member, the General Directorate of Civil Defence said.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said 50 people were killed in the past 24 hours in Israeli strikes.

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, said residents of the towns and villages of Nmairiyeh, Tayr Felsay, Hallousiyyeh, Upper Hallousiyyeh, Toura and Maarakeh were asked to leave as it issued new forced evacuation orders for southern Lebanon.

Fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continues despite a ceasefire in place since April 17, as Israel retains control over border areas.

The Israeli army said a drone launched by Hezbollah in northern Israel wounded two soldiers, one “severely”. Another drone attack wounded one soldier in an area of southern Lebanon occupied by Israeli forces.

The Lebanese armed group said it carried out a flurry of attacks in the past 24 hours against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah says they were in response to Israeli violations of the so-called ceasefire.

Hezbollah launched missiles at a military base in northern Israel, and targeted an army vehicle in the town of Deir Siryan, as well as Israeli troops on the road to Adshit al-Qusayr.

Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from Tyre, said military activity appeared to have intensified over the past 12 hours.

“We’ve seen air strikes and artillery strikes throughout the day along the coast,” the reporter said. “It’s been a significant escalation compared to the past couple of days.”

The Lebanese health ministry said 2,759 people have been killed and 8,512 injured since hostilities began on March 2.

Planned talks between Israel and Lebanon

A second stage of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon is expected to be held in Washington on May 14 and 15. The initial round  in mid-April led to a US-brokered ceasefire.

The US Department of State said in a statement that it would mediate the talks and that they would “build a framework for lasting peace and security arrangements, the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty throughout its territory, the delineation of borders, and creating concrete pathways for humanitarian relief and reconstruction in Lebanon.”

“These discussions represent another important step toward ending decades of conflict and establishing a lasting peace between the two countries,” it added.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met veteran diplomat Simon Karam on Friday. He will head the delegation flying to Washington for talks. In a statement, Aoun said they discussed “preparations for the meeting scheduled for next Thursday in Washington between the Lebanese, American and Israeli delegations”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Beirut wants to “solidify” the ceasefire ahead of the next round of negotiations with Israel.

“We will raise the issue of halting the attacks, releasing prisoners, and setting a timetable for withdrawal in the negotiations, allowing for the return of displaced persons and reconstruction,” Salam said, adding that the government sees negotiations as the opportunity to end the “state of conflict between Lebanon and Israel”.

Lebanon is “seeking American guarantees that will contribute to restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, he said, adding the government will be the “sole negotiating party on its behalf”.

Salam said the government remains “committed to restricting weapons to the state alone” – a comment that reflects Hezbollah’s military power.

Lebanon’s population and politicians are deeply divided on the issue of negotiations with Israel. Hezbollah and its supporters oppose direct negotiations, preferring indirect talks, while the Lebanese government is under US and Israeli pressure to engage in direct talks.

Pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah by force is stoking internal tensions in a country that ended a 15-year-long civil war in 1990. The Lebanese armed group is trying to regain the leverage it lost in November 2024, after Israel caused severe damage and killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.