The group’s leader has called for the Lebanese government to abandon direct negotiations with Israel, which are scheduled to continue in Washington this week; in a letter to Hezbollah officials, he wrote that the potential disarmament of Hezbollah, a key issue in the negotiations, was an internal matter (AP)
Israel Strikes Beirut
Israel struck Beirut for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, targeting a commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force (Reuters)
The Israel-Lebanon truce agreed to last month stipulated that Israel would only conduct defensive operations (State)
The attack on the city’s southern suburbs underscored how fighting in Lebanon could pose an obstacle to a regional peace deal—even as Iran studies a U.S. proposal to end the war; a draft U.S.-Iran agreement would include a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel’s Channel 12 reported, while unnamed U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that multiple different drafts of a deal are being considered (Times of Israel;WSJ)
Israel Issues New Evacuation Order
Despite a ceasefire agreement, Israel warned residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes ahead of renewed Israeli military operations; the evacuation order covered the area north of the Litani River, stretching beyond the area Israel previously said it would occupy (CNA)
Israeli Strikes Kill Nine in Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire
Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least nine people on Thursday, with the victims including two children, Lebanon’s health ministry reported (BBC)
Hezbollah’s Stance on Armament
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a statement that the group would not give up its weapons, rejecting one of Israel’s key goals in its peace talks with Lebanon; Israel has continued to strike targets in Lebanon despite a ceasefire, saying Hezbollah has also violated the truce (NYT)
Qassem criticized the Lebanese government for its decision to enter peace talks, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun responded that Hezbollah had committed “treason” by not consulting the country when entering the war against Israel (Le Monde)
Lebanon Truce Extended
Following talks with Israeli and Lebanese envoys, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire in Lebanon will go on for three more weeks (Truth Social)
The extension buys more time for diplomacy toward a peace deal between the two countries (WaPo)
A senior member of Hezbollah’s political council told the Associated Press the group would not abide by agreements reached in the Israel-Lebanon talks (AP)
Israel and Hezbollah Accuse Each Other of Violating Ceasefire
Hezbollah said Israel attacked civilians and homes in the country’s south and that the group had responded by firing into northern Israel (Reuters)
Israel’s military said buildings it targets were part of Hezbollah’s infrastructure, which are not covered by the ceasefire (Times of Israel)
In a meeting with Lebanon’s president, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would help the country prepare for talks with Israel (Reuters)
Israel-Lebanon Talks to Proceed in Washington
A ten-day truce in Lebanon announced last Thursday has largely held, though Israel has warned some displaced Lebanese families not to return to their homes inside the Israeli military buffer zone (NYT)
A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed that peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Thursday in Washington (Reuters)
Lebanon’s delegation in separate talks with Israel will be led by the country’s former U.S. ambassador, Simon Karam, President Joseph Aoun said (Haaretz)
Israel will be represented by its ambassador to the United States, an unnamed U.S. official (Times of Israel)
Ceasefire Begins in Lebanon
A ten-day ceasefire in Lebanon largely held overnight, raising hopes that regional tensions could cool (Reuters)
After weeks of war in Lebanon triggered mass displacement, some displaced people began to return to their homes today (AP)
Trump Announces Ten-Day Ceasefire in Lebanon
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun agreed to a ten-day ceasefire; the truce removes a critical obstacle to U.S.-Iran peace talks, as Tehran said any truce must also halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah (Guardian)
However, the ceasefire’s success hinges in part on the actions of a group not officially party to the formal agreement: Hezbollah, the Iran-backed proxy that has been Israel’s primary combatant in the country (WaPo)
A document outlining the truce published by the U.S. State Department said both countries had agreed Lebanon would work to prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel, while Israel would cease “offensive military operations” against Lebanese targets in Lebanon; the document also underscores Israel’s right to self-defense (State)
Israeli and Lebanese officials agreed to the truce, while Hezbollah acknowledged it in public statements but said its actions would be based “on how developments unfold” (NYT)
Israel Continues Strikes Across Lebanon
The Israeli military stated it was continuing strikes across Lebanon, noting that it had struck over two hundred targets in the past twenty-four hours; the continued strikes come a day after negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Washington (NYT)
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported artillery shelling and airstrikes across different locations in southern Lebanon, including Bint Jbeil (AP)
Hezbollah continued retaliatory attacks as the group fired over forty rockets towards northern Israel; one man, who was struck by shrapnel, was slightly injured in the attack (Times of Israel)
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon are expected to speak directly tomorrow for the first time in decades (Truth Social)
The Israeli security cabinet met this evening to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon (Axios)
Lebanon and Israel Meet in Washington, D.C.
Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks since 1993 in Washington, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio participating alongside the ambassadors of both countries; Hezbollah, which is not represented at the talks, has already declared it will not honor any agreements reached (AP)
After two hours of talks at the State Department, Israel’s U.S. ambassador expressed optimism, saying both sides found common ground in their shared goal of freeing Lebanon from Iranian-backed Hezbollah influence (NYT)
Amid the talks in Washington, Israeli strikes in Lebanon continued; a wave of strikes across southern Lebanon, including a strike near the main hospital in the town of Tibnin, caused significant damage and injured several people (NYT)
Israel, Hezbollah Continue Exchanges Ahead of Israel-Lebanon Talks
Israel and Hezbollah continued intense exchanges, with Israel intercepting over ten drones, a rocket striking a home in northern Israel, and Israeli forces raiding sites in southern Lebanon; meanwhile, Israeli and Lebanese officials are set to meet in Washington on Tuesday to explore a potential end to the conflict (NYT)
Israeli troops also launched a ground assault on Bint Jbeil, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, completing its encirclement of the town as Israeli officials claimed full control would be achieved within days, while Hezbollah fighters vowed to continue fighting given its strategic and symbolic importance (Reuters)
UNIFIL Says Israeli Troops Rammed Vehicles With Tank
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon stated that Israeli troops rammed into their vehicles using a Merkava tank (AP)
UNIFIL stated that the troops blocked a road in southern Lebanon that it used to access peacekeeper positions (NYT)
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said its ground forces carried out a raid on Hezbollah infrastructure; Hezbollah also continued retaliatory strikes, as the group announced it attacked Israeli military targets and fired missiles and drones into northern Israel (NYT)
IDF Strikes Over Two Hundred Hezbollah Targets
The Israeli military announced that it struck over two hundred Hezbollah targets in the past twenty-four hours, targeting infrastructure by air and continuing ground operations in southern Lebanon (AP)
Retaliatory attacks continued as Hezbollah launched over thirty rockets towards Israel; separately, two Israeli soldiers were wounded in combat with the group (Times of Israel)
As tensions remain high, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that the death toll in Lebanon caused by Israeli strikes rose to 2,020 people (AP)
Israel Intensifies Strikes in Southern Lebanon
Israel intensified strikes in southern Lebanon on Friday, with Lebanon’s state news agency reporting the largest wave yet in Nabatieh, including a strike on a state security office that killed at least eight personnel; the Israeli military said two soldiers were also injured in a drone attack in southern Lebanon, though no new strikes were reported in Beirut by evening (NYT)
Meanwhile, Israeli officials said that talks between Israel and Lebanon would be held in Washington next week (Reuters)
Separately, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi urged Hezbollah and Israel to cease hostilities and reach a diplomatic settlement (AP)
IDF Kills Top Hezbollah Secretary
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon (NYT)
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces reported destroying approximately ten rocket launchers (AP)
The IDF also reported killing Ali Yusuf Harshi, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem’s secretary, in Beirut; Hezbollah continued retaliatory fire and launched approximately seventy rockets towards northern Israel (Times of Israel)
These developments come as Netanyahu stated he is seeking direct talks with Lebanon (Reuters)
Israel Intensifies Strikes in Lebanon
While Israel paused its strikes on Iran, it began what it called its largest wave of strikes on Lebanon as residents in Beirut and the south say that attacks came without the usual evacuation warnings (Reuters)
This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that the ceasefire did not apply to Lebanon, contradicting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said it applied everywhere (NYT)
The Israeli military said it struck over a hundred Hezbollah targets in just ten minutes in Beirut, Beqaa region, and southern Lebanon; targets included intelligence infrastructure, command centers, and missile launchers (AP)
As the Israeli military is no longer stretched across multiple fronts, analysts say that it could intensify its offensive campaign against Hezbollah (NYT)
Lebanese Health Ministry Says 1,530 Killed by Israeli Strikes
The Lebanese health ministry announced that 1,530 people have been killed and over 4,800 injured by ongoing Israeli strikes; the ministry also reported that over a million people have been displaced (AP)
Meanwhile, Hezbollah drone and rocket attacks injured one in northern Israel (AP)
Amid Hezbollah attacks, the Israel Defense Force announced that it deployed its 98th division to support its ongoing ground offensive (Times of Israel)
Separately, the IDF is reportedly refraining from striking a border crossing between Lebanon and Syria; this comes as both Lebanon and Syria pressed the United States on the need to keep the crossing open (Reuters)
An Israeli missile strike on an apartment building in the Christian town of Ain Saadeh, east of Beirut, killed anti-Hezbollah politician Pierre Mouawad, his wife Flavia, and another woman; Israel said it was targeting a Hezbollah militant in the apartment above, but the third-floor unit was empty at the time (AP)
Israeli Airstrikes Kill At Least Eleven in Lebanon
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, an Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfarhata in south Lebanon killed seven; a separate Israeli strike on Beirut’s Jnah neighborhood killed four people and wounded thirty-nine others, the ministry said, adding that the Kfarhata attack came after the Israeli military issued an overnight evacuation order for the village’s residents (Reuters)
Retaliatory attacks by Hezbollah continued as six people were lightly injured by a Hezbollah rocket that struck Deir al-Asad (Times of Israel)
Strikes Continue in Southern Lebanon
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that at least eleven people were killed and several others injured in Israeli strikes across Southern Lebanon; nine of these deaths occurred in Tyre district (Anadolu Agency)
Strikes also continued in Beirut and its southern suburb of Dahiya, which is controlled by Hezbollah (NYT)
Separately, an Israeli military official reported that a soldier was killed in Lebanon due to friendly fire (AP)
Israel to Establish New Defensive Lines in Lebanon
The Israeli military stated that it will soon establish new defensive lines in Lebanon to prevent attacks on communities in northern Israel (AP)
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that four were killed and fifteen others were injured in airstrikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley (Anadolu Agency)
Israel Katz Issues Threat to Naim Qassem
The Israeli military said it detected a barrage of rockets fired by Hezbollah (NYT)
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, stating that he would “pay a very heavy price” for rocket fire on Israel (Times of Israel)
Amid continued escalations, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that the war shows no signs of ending (Reuters)
Israel Kills Hezbollah Commander
The Israeli military announced that it killed Yusuf Ishmail Hashem, the commander of Hezbollah’s Southern front, the day before; while it is unknown which strike killed Hashem, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that an overnight strike killed seven and injured twenty-six in Beirut (NYT)
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s army said that it was forced to redeploy and reposition some of its troops due to an increase in “Israeli aggression” (NYT)
Retaliatory rocket fire by Hezbollah continued, striking a home in Kiryat Shmona; no injuries were reported in the attack (Times of Israel)