BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military said Thursday that two of its soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon in the first Israeli deaths since the implementation of a shaky truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in June.
Four other soldiers were seriously wounded, the military said. The deaths had been reported by Israeli media a day earlier.
The Israeli army launched strikes Wednesday in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire and issued a call for residents of the village of Mansouri to flee — the first such warning Israel has issued in Lebanon for weeks.
There was no immediate statement from Hezbollah.
The escalation came as Lebanese and Israeli negotiators met in Rome to discuss implementation of a June 26 deal under which Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw from areas they occupy in southern Lebanon and allow the Lebanese army to take control, in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Wednesday’s talks ended early due to the escalation on the ground. It was not immediately clear if they would resume Thursday.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said one person was killed and 12 wounded in an Israeli strike in the town of Tebnine Wednesday. The state-run National News Agency reported more people wounded in overnight strikes on the village of Burj al-Shemali, but the number was not clear. Artillery shelling also targeted the areas of Mansouri and Majdal Zoun, it said.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets across the border two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their attacks on Iran. More than 4,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since then, including hundreds of civilians About 40 soldiers and three civilians - including a military contractor - have been killed on the Israeli side.
A shaky truce between Israel and Hezbollah has largely held since June 20, but Israeli forces have continued to occupy swaths of southern Lebanon and to carry out periodic airstrikes and shelling.
The talks in Rome have focused on implementation of “pilot zones” where Israeli forces would withdraw and the Lebanese army would take control. Implementation began last month with an initial pilot zone in an area that wasn’t occupied by Israeli forces but had previously sustained Israeli fire.
The Lebanese army entered the town of Zawtar al-Gharbieh and some civilians returned, although many came only to find their homes destroyed and left again.
A diplomat familiar with the negotiations said earlier this week that Lebanon had asked to be either in the town of Khiam or Bint Jbeil. Both areas saw heavy fighting in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war and are currently occupied by Israeli forces.
But U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa suggested ahead of the three-day talks that no new pilot zones would be immediately implemented, saying that “moving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect.”
Israeli tanks, left, stationed among homes in the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, occupied by Israeli forces, is seen from the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A Lebanese man sits outside his damaged house in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbieh, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Israeli military vehicles, left, are seen stationed among homes in the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, occupied by Israeli forces, is seen from the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
MEGARA, Greece (AP) — Sasa, an alert and floppy-eared mixed-breed puppy, did not return home when the remaining containment lines were lifted Wednesday in the wake of a wildfire that swept across mountains and coastal areas near Athens.
The pup was one of hundreds of pets and wild animals rescued by volunteers this week during the blaze, which prompted multiple evacuations.
The fire — at one point burning on five fronts — torched dozens of homes and more than 100 square kilometers (39 square miles) of land. It was the latest scene of destruction during Europe’s searing summer, where massive fires — including in countries accustomed to cooler summers — have worried animal welfare groups.
In the town of Megara, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Athens, rescue organizer Elena Dede said the local volunteer effort saved more than 280 animals, mostly dogs, during scorching heat and high winds.
Sasa and others were housed on an indoor sports court inside a collapsible wire cage with a rubber ball to play with and a metal water bowl.
“There was so much heat and the fire was so aggressive. It was changing directions all the time,” Dede said.
Richard Parr, director of the U.K.-based Center for Wild Animal Welfare, described these animal rescue efforts by firefighters and local charities as “heroic” but argued that hotter summers are increasing the risk facing millions of animals.
“At the moment, all too often, it is ad hoc, and it falls on the shoulders of private individuals, small charities,” he said. “The scale of the challenges they’re facing in terms of the number of animals affected and the areas of fire is gigantic and completely out of step.”
The organization is campaigning for a dedicated European Union animal rescue service and funding to address the problem.
“There’s just a massive mismatch between the huge scale of this problem and the resources and the capacity that are available to respond to it,” Parr said.
He also urged governments to consider setting up “fire refuges” for animals, such as ponds and rock piles that could offer shelter.
In Greece, the blaze has left rescuers with a logistical headache: where to return displaced animals like Sasa. Dede said local authorities were helping match missing-animal notices with rescued animals and find temporary homes until the process was completed.
However, she said she was mindful that the dogs at the stadium were among the fortunate.
“It was really hard for every volunteer and every person involved to survive the smoke and the stress,” she said.
“I will never forget the animals that we knew were left behind. I’m just hoping they were saved and ran free."
Petros Giannakouris in Megara, Greece contributed.
A volunteer holds the paw of a dog rescued from wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A volunteer tends to dogs rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A dog rescued from recent wildfires rests in a crate at a temporary animal shelter inside a stadium in Megara, west of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A volunteer tends to a dog rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A volunteer tends to a dog rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A dogs rescued from recent wildfires looks on at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
