JERUSALEM/BEIRUT - Israel views the extension of the current ceasefire through mid-May as the final window for reaching a permanent agreement with Lebanon, state-owned Kan TV reported Tuesday, citing Israeli officials.

A government source told the broadcaster that Israel has agreed to continue talks for two more weeks but intends to escalate military operations targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon if no permanent deal is reached.

The White House is seeking to arrange a summit between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, though officials from both sides expressed skepticism about the meeting's feasibility, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would continue its attacks despite the talks and the ceasefire. In a video statement after the Israeli military destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon, he said troops would remain in what Israel describes as a "security zone" inside Lebanon.

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Two ambassador-level meetings have been held in Washington as Israeli troops remain deployed across southern Lebanon. Israel has carried out daily strikes in Lebanon, while Hezbollah has attacked Israeli forces with drones and gunfire.

Israel and Hezbollah resumed fighting in early March amid the war with Iran. A 10-day ceasefire that took effect last week was extended on April 23 for an additional three weeks. 

Hezbollah tunnels destroyed

In another development, the Israeli military said it had struck and destroyed two Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon, part of what it described as a broader effort to dismantle the group's underground infrastructure near the Israeli border.

The military said the tunnels, located in the Qantara area about 10 kilometers from the border, stretched a combined length of about 2 kilometers and formed part of a larger underground network.

It said the tunnels were built with assistance and direct guidance from Iran, but provided no evidence.

According to the military, troops found weapons, living quarters, water tanks, and equipment for prolonged stays inside the tunnels. The tunnels were used mainly to house Hezbollah operatives, with one containing about 10 sleeping rooms, it said.

Five killed in Israeli airstrike

Meanwhile, Lebanon's Health Ministry said five people were killed, including three Lebanese Civil Defense rescuers, and two Lebanese soldiers were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

The ministry's Emergency Operations Center said the preliminary toll from the strike included five dead, among them three civil defense paramedics who were trapped under the rubble after being targeted while carrying out a rescue mission.

It added that two Lebanese army soldiers were also injured in the attack.

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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the killing of three civil defense personnel in Majdal Zoun, saying that targeting rescuers constituted a violation of international laws, according to a statement from the presidency.

Also on Tuesday, Hezbollah said it shot down an Israeli army Hermes 900 drone with a surface-to-air missile over the town of Qantara in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military also said an Israeli civilian employed as a contract worker for the Defense Ministry was killed in southern Lebanon by a Hezbollah explosive drone.