Lebanon’s President Calls Hezbollah Disarmament a “Delicate Issue”
President Joseph Aoun stated that working with Hezbollah on an agreement to disarm takes careful consideration to preserve internal peace; his statements come after Lebanese troops stopped and arrested multiple individuals in Lebanon who planned to fire rockets into Israel (Al Jazeera)
However, on Friday, April 18, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem claimed that the group “will not let anyone disarm it” (France24)
Israel Plans to Hold “Security Zones” Indefinitely
Israel will keep troops deployed in certain zones of Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria indefinitely, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said yesterday; he added they would create buffer zones to protect Israeli communities (AP)
Lebanon-Syria Security Talks
The two countries agreed to cooperate economically and coordinate over security issues in Cairo; last month, they saw deadly border clashes before reaching a cease-fire (Al Jazeera)
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit begins a phase of “restoration of trust,” Salam said; the leaders also discussed the case of Lebanese people who had gone missing in Syria in recent decades (Reuters)
Hezbollah Official Says That Group is Open to Disarming If Israel Withdraws From Lebanon
The senior official stated that the group will consider talks of disarmament with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun provided that Israeli forces pull out from their five hilltop positions in southern Lebanon (Reuters)
Separately, the Trump administration informed the World Food Program (WFP) that it reversed aid cuts to Lebanon after USAID funds to the WFP in fourteen countries had been mistakenly cut, according to a U.S. Department of State spokesperson (AP)
Israeli Drone Strike Kills Hezbollah Commander in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it eliminated Hezbollah Artillery Commander Muhammad Adnan Mansour in the southern Lebanese district of Taybeh (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Strikes on Beirut Kill Four, Including a Hezbollah Official
The Israeli military stated that the targeted official was a member of Hezbollah and the Iranian Quds Force; the latest airstrikes signify continued tensions in the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, which the United States brokered in November 2024 (Reuters)
Iraq to Provide Fuel Supplies to Lebanon for Six More Months
The two parties originally agreed to the heavy fuel oil deal in 2021, in which Iraq provides fuel to Lebanon in exchange for Lebanese health services to Iraqi citizens; the extension of the deal comes as Lebanon faces a critical financial crisis, exacerbated by a deteriorating power shortage (Reuters)
Israel Carries Out Its First Heavy Air Strike in Beirut Since Cease-Fire With Hezbollah Began in November
The Israeli military issued an evacuation order shortly before the strike and said it would hit Hezbollah targets (France24)
The truce has been strained in recent weeks as Israel said it would stay in Lebanon past a deadline to withdraw (AP)
Last Saturday, Israel said it intercepted three rockets coming from Lebanon and launched large-scale air strikes in return (Politico)
Lebanon’s president, who has called for restraint, is meeting Macron in Paris today (RFI)
Israel Strikes Lebanon Following Rocket Attack
The Israeli military stated that it hit numerous weapons and Hezbollah command centers after Hezbollah denied firing rockets into Israel the day prior; Lebanon’s health ministry stated that the Israeli airstrikes killed at least seven and injured over forty (BBC)
Lebanon and Syria Agree to Cease-Fire After Two Days of Deadly Border Clashes
Syria’s interim government accused Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah of abducting and killing three Syrian soldiers on Saturday (WaPo)
Amid subsequent fighting, seven Lebanese people were killed, Lebanon’s health ministry said; the truce agreement calls for “enhanced coordination and cooperation between the two sides,” Syria’s defense ministry said (AP)
Weekend Clashes Along Border Raise Tensions Between Syria and Lebanon
Damascus accused Hezbollah fighters of killing three Syrian soldiers in a cross-border attack on Saturday, which Hezbollah denied and instead accused Syrian soldiers of attacking Lebanese villages; both parties reportedly fired artillery shells at each other’s positions into early morning on Monday, prompting Beirut to deploy its troops to the border to ease the situation, and both the Lebanese and Syrian armies are reportedly maintaining communications (Al Jazeera)
Israel and Lebanon Meet With U.S. and French Mediators for Preliminary Talks Over Land Border, Other Points of Conflict
U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus said the ongoing negotiations will also weigh the future of Israeli military outposts in Lebanon (NYT)
In the short term, the talks are a positive sign for the continuation of the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah (Bloomberg)
World Bank: $11 Billion Needed to Reconstruct Lebanon After War
The World Bank report also estimated that Lebanon’s GDP contracted by 7.1 percent in 2024 due to the Israel-Hezbollah War (AP)
Lebanon’s President Visits Saudi Arabia for First Time in Eight Years
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh to improve cooperation and bilateral trade relations; both parties also reaffirmed that Israel’s army should fully withdraw from all territory it currently occupies in Lebanon (Al Jazeera)
Hundreds of Thousands Attend Funeral for Slain Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah
Supporters from Lebanon and other countries gathered at a central sports stadium in Beirut to mourn the death of Hassan Nasrallah, who Israeli forces killed in an airstrike in September 2024; during the funeral, Hezbollah leaders stressed unity and an end to the presence of IDF forces at the border, and a low flyover by Israeli fighter jets over the stadium evoked chants of “Death to Israel” from the crowd (Reuters)
Yemen Urges Lebanon to Arrest Houthi Leaders Attending Funeral of Slain Hezbollah Chief Nasrallah
Yemen’s Information Minister called Nasrallah’s funeral a “cover” for the “Iranian axis” to meet in Beirut, where the funeral will take place on February 23 (Reuters)
Israeli Forces Withdraw From Parts of Southern Lebanon as Previously Agreed in Cease-Fire Deal
However, Israel said troops would stay past today’s withdrawal deadline in five locations on Lebanese territory (AP)
An Israeli military spokesperson said the move was “agreed upon” with the U.S.-led monitoring group created as part of the cease-fire deal (FT)
Lebanon views any continued Israeli presence on its territory as an occupation, a spokesperson for the Lebanese presidency said (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam Announces a Deal to Form First Full-fledged Cabinet in Over Two Years
Following pressure from donor countries, namely the United States, Hezbollah and its allies control less than one-third of seats; they are thus unable to single-handedly block decisions requiring two-thirds approval (Reuters)
The new government’s priorities include financial reforms, reconstruction, and implementing a UN resolution about stability on the border with Israel, Salam said (AP)
Israel Continue Air Raids in Lebanon Despite Ceasefire
The air raid in southern Lebanon injured fourteen people; Israel claimed it targeted vehicles used to transport weapons for Hezbollah (Al Jazeera)
Earlier in the day, Israeli forces killed at least twenty-two civilians returning to a village south of Lebanon’s Litani River, per Lebanon’s health ministry (The Guardian)
White House and Lebanese Officials Say Ceasefire Between Israel and Lebanon Will Move Forward
Strains in the southern Lebanon cease-fire were related to a deadline—originally scheduled for today—for both Israel and Hezbollah to withdraw forces from the area (NYT)
Israel said Friday it would stay past the deadline due to concerns over Hezbollah’s presence, while cease-fire observers the United States and France did not immediately make public their assessment of whether Hezbollah had withdrawn (NYT)
Israel warned that people displaced from southern Lebanon should not return home, and fired at some who did; Lebanese officials said twenty-four people were killed, its deadliest bout of violence since the war broke out (WaPo)
ICJ President Named New Lebanese Prime Minister
Nawaf Salam will leave the International Court of Justice to become Lebanon’s prime minister after two-thirds of Lebanon’s lawmakers backed him; that support did not include Hezbollah, which backed no candidate (BBC)
Salam served for a decade as Lebanon’s permanent representative to the United Nations; his naming was expected to bolster international support for the new government, which also includes newly elected President Joseph Aoun (AP)
Lebanon’s New President Says Only Government Should Bear Arms
Joseph Aoun’s statement was widely seen as alluding to the power that Hezbollah holds within the country, though he relied on support from Hezbollah lawmakers to be elected (WaPo)
The teams of U.S. President Joe Biden and incoming President Trump had coordinated to push for Aoun’s election, unnamed sources told Axios(Axios)
Lebanon’s Legislature Elects Army Chief As President
Lawmakers chose armed forces commander Joseph Aoun as president today, ending an impasse in which twelve previous votes to choose the leader were unsuccessful; Lebanon’s previous president departed in October 2022 (WaPo)
France, Saudi Arabia Call for Mideast De-Escalation, Lebanese Elections
French President Emmanuel Macron is on a multi-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, where the two countries called for regional de-escalation and for new presidential elections in Lebanon (RFI)
Israel Strikes Lebanese Border Village As Cease-Fire Largely Holds
Israel struck a border village, but no casualties were immediately reported and a days-old cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah continued (AP)