The UNIFIL mission has faced a growing number of casualties as Israel and Hezbollah continue to fight.
Lebanon’s social affairs minister backed calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah but cautioned that the process would take time before a “political settlement” could be reached, calling the group a “community” and not merely a militant organisation. Haneen Sayed told a discussion on Monday that disarming Hezbollah – an Iran-backed militant group – was a demand of her government and its people, and that it “must happen”. “Of course, we understand that implementation is not easy. It’s not instant...
Lebanon remains divided over the best way to end the conflict with Israel, with some backing Hezbollah's armed response.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that planned talks with Israel aim to end hostilities and the occupation in southern Lebanon, even as Hezbollah and its supporters rejected the negotiations. Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has sharply criticised the Lebanese government’s negotiations with Israel, which are set to enter a second round on Thursday. After the first round of talks last week, US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day truce pausing more than six weeks of war...
Israel’s security cabinet will convene on Wednesday to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official has said, more than five weeks into a war with Hezbollah that spiralled out of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet would meet at 8pm local time, the official said. Senior Hezbollah official Ibrahim al-Moussawi told Reuters that diplomatic efforts by Iran and other regional states could produce a ceasefire soon, saying...
Israel's ambassador to the US said Lebanon revealed a mutual desire to be liberated from Hezbollah.
Israel and Lebanon hold first direct talks since 1993, but Hezbollah's rejection threatens the US-brokered effort.
Naim Qassem says planned talks in Washington, DC, are a ploy to pressure Hezbollah into laying down its weapons.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has urged Lebanon to cancel a planned Washington meeting with Israeli representatives.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday urged Lebanon to cancel a planned meeting with Israel in Washington the following day, reiterating his group’s rejection of direct negotiations with its foe. “We reject negotiations with the usurping Israeli entity … We call for a historic and heroic stance by cancelling this negotiating meeting,” Qassem, whose Iran-backed group has been at war with Israel since March 2, said in a televised address. The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States...
Israel and Hezbollah continued to trade attacks on Friday - although at a reduced pace.
In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours. Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire between them. In a video statement, he said Israel will keep...
Lebanese armed group is an ally of Tehran but still under attack from Israel.
Democratic lawmakers tell White House that allowing Israel to continue to bomb Lebanon could reignite the regional war.
Israeli PM says his gov't ready to enter negotiations on 'disarming Hezbollah' and 'establishing peaceful relations'.