Air raid sirens across Israel after rocket launches from Lebanon

TEL AVIV - Air raid alerts rang out across Israel early Friday, including in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv and in the southern coastal city of Ashdod following rocket fire from Lebanon.

Continued fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah is testing a fragile truce reached between the United States and Iran.

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire repeatedly on Thursday.

The Israeli army's Home Front Command issued alerts for several areas following Friday's rocket fire, including the Tel Aviv area and southern communities far from the Lebanon border.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Israeli media reported that air-defence systems had intercepted at least one incoming rocket.

Hezbollah posted several statements on Telegram saying it had launched three waves of rocket and drone strikes in the early hours of the morning against Israeli soldiers on both sides of the border as well as a town in northern Israel.

The US State Department said on Thursday that Israeli and Lebanese government representatives will hold talks in Washington next week, amid mounting international concerns that Israel's campaign in Lebanon could shatter the already fragile US-Iran temporary truce.

Pakistan - which has insisted Lebanon is included in the ceasefire - is also set to host talks between Iranian and United States delegations in coming days to try to permanently end the Middle East war.