The Israeli military said the launcher had been used in an attack that was intercepted by its air defense systems. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for the rocket fire.The exchange came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire had been extended by three weeks, underscoring ongoing fragility in the truce.

Hezbollah said its attack was in retaliation for an earlier Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese village of Yater. Lebanon’s public health ministry said two people, including a child, were wounded in artillery shelling in the area.

Separately, the ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike killed three people in the Nabatieh region in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said those killed were militants who had launched a missile toward an Israeli warplane.

Cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have persisted intermittently despite ceasefire efforts, with both sides accusing each other of violations as tensions linked to the wider regional conflict continue.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the attack occurred at dawn on the outskirts of Al-Jabur in the West Bekaa region. There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military, which said it was not aware of the reported strike.

The incident comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah that began last week following an escalation of cross-border hostilities.Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had launched rockets and attack drones toward northern Israel, describing the action as a response to what it called repeated Israeli violations of the truce, including strikes on civilian areas and infrastructure.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired multiple rockets at its forces in southern Lebanon and that it had targeted the launcher in retaliation.

Lebanese media also reported continued Israeli artillery shelling and demolition operations in southern areas where Israeli forces remain deployed.

Israel intensified its military campaign in Lebanon after Hezbollah entered the broader regional conflict in support of Iran in early March.

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said Israeli forces would respond with “full force” to any perceived threats.Under the terms of the truce, Israel maintains that it reserves the right to act against attacks it deems imminent or ongoing.

Leiter said Israel had agreed to begin “formal peace negotiations” with the Lebanese government, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The talks are scheduled to open Tuesday at the U.S. State Department following contacts between Israeli and Lebanese representatives.“Israel refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to attack Israel and is the main obstacle to peace between the two countries,” Leiter said in a statement.

The position contrasts with calls from Lebanese authorities and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for a pause in hostilities ahead of negotiations. A report citing sources familiar with the discussions said Washington and Beirut had urged Israel to halt its attacks before talks begin.

Israel launched an intensified military campaign, including airstrikes and a ground offensive in Lebanon, after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in early March, in a move linked to broader regional tensions involving Iran.

Israeli officials have maintained that the ongoing conflict in Lebanon is separate from the ceasefire arrangement between the United States and Iran, with negotiations between those two countries set to take place in Islamabad.

In the absence of a ceasefire, discussions in Washington are expected to focus on measures Israel wants the Lebanese government to take, particularly regarding efforts to curb Hezbollah’s activities.

Lebanese authorities say the conflict has killed more than 1,950 people in recent weeks, including over 350 fatalities reported on Wednesday alone, marking one of the deadliest days since the escalation began.