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Ten Israeli soldiers, including three in serious condition, were wounded in an overnight clash with Hezbollah members in the southern Lebanese Bint Jbeil, the Israeli military said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Israeli media outlet Haaretz reported that Israel entered the same day's Washington talks with Lebanon under instructions not to agree to a ceasefire, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu viewing the talks as a tactic to "buy time without stopping the fighting."
The Israeli military said the clash occurred overnight in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.
Three soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade were listed in serious condition, one in moderate condition, and six others lightly wounded.
All were evacuated to the hospital, and their families were notified.
Citing Israeli sources, Haaretz reported that Netanyahu views the launch of Washington talks as "a tactic to buy time without stopping the fighting while showing goodwill toward the Americans and President Donald Trump."
The sources expressed skepticism about the possibility of making progress.
"Leiter will arrive at the talks under instructions not to agree to a ceasefire, which will make it extremely difficult to find common ground with the Lebanese side," Haaretz said.
The talks, held at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Tuesday evening, include Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, Lebanese Ambassador Nada Muaawad, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa.
Lebanon has sought a ceasefire commitment from Israel. Hezbollah has condemned the talks. According to Yedioth Ahronoth, a joint statement is expected from the two ambassadors after the meeting, though no additional meetings have been scheduled.
Israel has been conducting an expanded offensive in Lebanon since March 2. As of Tuesday, the operation has killed 2,089 people and wounded 6,762 others, according to Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) figures.
Disarming Hezbollah is Israel's stated top priority, though Haaretz said it was unclear whether Tel Aviv intends to link any progress in negotiations to disarmament. While the Lebanese government has begun implementing a plan to disarm Hezbollah, the group insists on keeping its weapons.
A separate report citing data from the Institute for National Security Studies, an independent think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University, said 35 people have been killed and over 8,000 injured in Israel since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28.
Israel enforces strict censorship on reporting its losses from Iranian and Hezbollah strikes and ground combat in Lebanon.
The institute reported that Iran has launched more than 640 missiles into Israeli airspace and over 765 drones since the war began.
More than 6,300 Israelis have been evacuated since the conflict began, with the highest numbers recorded in Tel Aviv, Arad, Dimona and Beit Shemesh.
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