Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government and demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal. Thursday's announcement came as local authorities said Israeli strikes killed at least four people. A U.N. peacekeeper was also killed in the crossfire. Hezbollah's leader said the agreement's demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean surrender and defeat. The ongoing fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south, threatens efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The Israeli military has told residents across southern Lebanon to leave as it expands its operations there. The statement says the military will "work with extreme force" against Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group. The warning on Wednesday is the first since a ceasefire went into effect on April 17, and came amid a rising escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah war, with Israeli troops crossing the Litani River and edging closer to the southern city of Nabatiyeh. The escalation comes two days before Lebanese and Lebanese military officials were scheduled to meet at the Pentagon to discuss among things strengthening the ceasefire agreement.

Israel's military is clashing with the militant Hezbollah group along a strategic river in Lebanon. The clashes come as Israeli troops are pushing farther north, just days before Lebanese and Israeli delegations are to meet for talks in Washington. Lebanon is hoping for an agreement that would lead to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. The Litani River has been a de facto boundary, with areas to the south under Israeli control despite a nominal ceasefire. Tuesday's intensified strikes follow a warning by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. One Israeli strike killed a family of 12 in the eastern village of Mashghara. Hezbollah launched several attacks on Israeli troops along the river.

Lebanon and Israel have held direct diplomatic talks for the first time in decades. Tuesday's more than two-hour meeting at the State Department came after more than a month of conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the talks a "historic opportunity," while Israel's ambassador to the U.S. hailed what he called a convergence of opinion about removing Hezbollah's influence from Lebanon. Hezbollah opposed the direct talks and wasn't represented. There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese side. The Lebanese government hopes the talks will lead to an end to the war, which has killed over 2,000 people there.

A senior Hezbollah official says the Lebanese militant group will not abide by any agreements made in upcoming direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in the United States. The talks, which are to start on Tuesday, will be the first in decades. Hezbollah opposes these negotiations, viewing Israel as an enemy. Lebanese officials hope for a ceasefire, while Israel is seeking Hezbollah's disarmament and a potential peace agreement. Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of Hezbollah's political council, told The Associated Press in a rare interview on Monday that Hezbollah is "not interested in or concerned with" these negotiations in the U.S.

Israeli strikes have hit central Beirut without warning, causing panic after the announcement of the ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Wednesday's strikes in the Lebanese capital came after Israel said the ceasefire does not apply to its fight with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. President Donald Trump later said Lebanon was not included in the deal. Israel's military said it hit over 100 targets in Beirut and other areas. Lebanon's health ministry said at least 89 people were killed and 700 were wounded. Associated Press journalists saw charred bodies in cars at one of the capital's busiest intersections. Hezbollah has not agreed to the ceasefire. Displaced families face uncertainty.

Israel has carried out airstrikes on southern and northeastern Lebanon. Thursday's strikes come as the deadline to disarm Hezbollah looms. The attacks happened a day before a meeting of a committee monitoring a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The ceasefire ended the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago. The Israeli military said that it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and military sites. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that the strikes stretched from Mount Rihan to the northeastern Hermel region. The U.S. has increased pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah in recent weeks.

The Lebanese army has condemned Israel's airstrikes on suburbs of Beirut, warning that such attacks are weakening the role of Lebanon's armed forces that might eventually suspend cooperation with the committee monitoring the truce that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war. The army's statement Friday came hours after the Israeli military struck several buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs that it said held underground facilities used by Hezbollah for drone production. The Lebanese army said it started coordinating with the committee observing the ceasefire after Israel's military issued a warning and sent patrols to the areas that were to be struck to search them.