Hezbollah Claims IDF Violated Ceasefire as Israel-Lebanon Talks Resume in Washington

The fifth round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon opened on Tuesday in Washington, with talks centered on creating “pilot areas” where Israeli forces would withdraw so the Lebanese army could prove its ability to disarm Hezbollah.

“Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has discussed a “deconfliction mechanism” for the country with United States Vice President JD Vance and the Qatari prime minister”

Al Jazeera

Just before the talks began, Hezbollah claimed the IDF “violated” the ceasefire, saying soldiers opened fire with “automatic weapons toward a group of civilians” near Nabatiya at approximately 11:30 a.m., killing two civilians and injuring two more.

Al Jazeera

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Leiter said he was concerned the talks were heading toward a “train wreck,” warning that a ceasefire was agreed on the condition that Hezbollah withdraw northward and asking whether that agreement was still binding.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told a Lebanese government cabinet meeting that his government would “accept nothing less than the end of the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon,” while the Jerusalem Post reported the negotiations were underway in Washington.

The New Arab reported that Israeli forces opened fire on civilians in the al-Deir neighbourhood of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, killing two people and wounding others, according to Lebanese civil defence.

Hezbollah condemned the killings as a violation of the ceasefire, and the Jerusalem Post quoted the group saying the alleged incident was “treacherous” and “constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”

DW reported that Lebanese National News Agency said Israeli troops “opened fire with their machine-guns” at the direction of people near an excavator unblocking a road in Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, while Israel said it hit “armed terrorists who posed an immediate threat” in the Ali al-Taher ridge area.

Al-Najah Al-Ikhbari

Al Jazeera reported that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun discussed a “deconfliction mechanism” with United States Vice President JD Vance and the Qatari prime minister, with the phone call focused on consolidating the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Vance told reporters the mechanism was intended to prevent incidents from spiralling “into a broader escalation,” and he said it would require coordination with the Lebanese armed forces and that “the Iranians” rein in Hezbollah.

The New Arab added that a US official said the new mechanism was launched by US Central Command (CENTCOM) to monitor developments on the ground and help bring an end to violence, while Israeli officials reacted with fury in reports.

The Detroit News said Lebanon’s leaders including President Joseph Aoun had repeatedly warned that Tehran cannot negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf, as it described the Iran-U.S. memorandum of understanding as pulling “the rug out from the Lebanese state” and leaving it “in its weakest position yet.”

The Detroit News also quoted an Israeli government spokesperson, David Mencer, saying the purpose of the upcoming talks was “disarming Hezbollah and achieving a genuine peace agreement” with Lebanon, while the Lebanese official said there “remains a fundamental problem of trust between us and the Israelis in these talks.”

Al Jazeera reported that Netanyahu pledged to occupy southern Lebanon “as long as is necessary,” and it said Netanyahu later insisted the Israeli military will act with “full freedom” to engage any threat encountered in southern Lebanon.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Leiter expressed concern about whether Hezbollah would be dismantled and removed from the country, and he warned Hezbollah could be given “a new lease on life” if increased funding flows to Iran under the Memorandum of Understanding.

yalibnan reported that Aoun said he would accept nothing less than “the complete end of the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and the end of all foreign interference,” framing the next two days of talks as a bid to restore Lebanon’s full sovereignty over every inch of its territory.