Israel Kills 22 In Lebanon Strikes As Lebanon And Israel Hold Washington Talks

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold new peace talks in Washington starting Thursday as their latest ceasefire nears its end, with the ceasefire having begun on April 17 and lasting through Sunday.

“Lebanon, Israel to hold new talks in US as ceasefire nears end Lebanon and Israel are to hold new peace talks in Washington starting Thursday, as their latest ceasefire -- considered to still be in place despite hundreds of deaths in Israeli strikes -- nears its end”

Al-Monitor

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 22 people, including eight children, were killed on Wednesday as Israel intensified strikes, and the state-run National News Agency said the attacks pounded about 40 locations in Lebanon’s south and east.

Al-Monitor

The talks come as Israel’s military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Thursday after warning residents of several towns and villages, while Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli airstrikes on the south and east, including in areas not covered by the warning.

Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar reiterated the group’s rejection of the direct talks, saying they amounted to "free concessions" to Israel, as a Lebanese official told AFP that Lebanon would seek "the consolidation of the ceasefire" during the negotiations.

A senior Lebanese official told ynetnews that Lebanon will demand that Israel implement a ceasefire during face-to-face talks in Washington on Thursday, as Israel and Hezbollah continued to trade fire despite a U.S.-backed truce declared last month.

The same ynetnews report said the Lebanese delegation would seek “a ceasefire that Israel implements,” while the IDF said a Hezbollah explosive drone fell inside Israeli territory near the border, wounding several Israeli civilians.

Inbox.lv

In parallel, Al-Monitor reported that Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes days earlier.

Al-Monitor also quoted Netanyahu saying last week after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs killed a senior Hezbollah commander: "Anyone who threatens the State of Israel will die because of his actions," as the ceasefire nears its end.

The Washington talks are framed as the third round of talks between Israel and Lebanon, with the ceasefire extension announced by U.S. President Donald Trump having been for three weeks and the summit he predicted would host Netanyahu and Joseph Aoun in Washington not taking place.

“Lebanon and Israel are to hold new peace talks in Washington starting Thursday, as their latest ceasefire - considered to still be in place despite hundreds of deaths in Israeli strikes - nears its end”

Inbox.lv

The Jerusalem Post said the third round will open in Washington on Thursday at the State Department and, for the first time, military representatives will also participate, with the Lebanese delegation led by Simon Karam and the Israeli delegation led by Yechiel Leiter.

The Jerusalem Post added that the talks aim “to discuss a framework for an agreement in greater depth,” while it also reported that Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry submitted an official complaint to the UN Security Council on Wednesday against Iran.

In the lead-up, the U.S. State Department statement cited by Türkiye Today said “comprehensive peace is contingent on the full restoration of Lebanese state authority and the complete disarmament of Hezbollah,” as Hezbollah officials called for a referendum on direct negotiations and Lebanon’s health ministry figures were used in multiple tallies of deaths during the truce.