Israel Strikes Beirut, Killing Hezbollah Radwan Commander, Netanyahu and Katz Announce

Israel struck Beirut on Wednesday for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, with Israel saying it targeted a commander of the militant group's elite Radwan force in the city's southern suburbs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the action in a joint statement. Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah. The Lebanon ceasefire has underpinned a broader U.S.-Iran truce, with a halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon being a key Iranian demand, and the strikes threaten the ceasefire that halted Israeli attacks on Beirut. In parallel, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said it was premature to talk of any high-level meeting between Lebanon and Israel, while talks between Israel and Lebanon have continued at the ambassador level.

“Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Wednesday that Beirut is pursuing peace and stability rather than normalization with Israel amid ongoing regional tensions”

Daily Sabah

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told journalists that Beirut is pursuing peace and stability rather than normalization with Israel, and he said talk of any possible meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "premature." Salam added that "any high-level meeting with the Israeli side requires major preparations," and he said consolidating the cease-fire will form the basis for any new round of negotiations that could be held in Washington. He also reiterated that Lebanon’s "minimum demand is a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal" and that authorities will develop a plan to place weapons exclusively under state control. The dispute over contacts continues as Hezbollah strongly objects to the contacts, while Washington last month hosted two meetings between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States. In a separate account of the same diplomatic track, a Lebanese official source confirmed that a third round of negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv will take place next week at the US State Department in Washington, though the exact date and representation level remained unconfirmed.

The immediate stakes for Lebanon’s diplomacy are tied to whether the April 17 cease-fire can be consolidated, with Salam saying it is being violated daily by both Israel and Hezbollah. He said any high-level contact requires thorough preparation and that progress must come through consolidating the April 17 cease-fire, while negotiations are expected to be discussed in a third preparatory meeting between Lebanese and Israeli envoys in Washington. Salam also framed Lebanon’s demands as including a clear timetable for Israeli withdrawal from the south and the full pullout of Israeli forces from more than 600 square kilometers of occupied territory in southern Lebanon, along with the return of displaced residents, the release of prisoners, and the settlement of border disputes. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he hoped "Iranian-American negotiations will soon reach a positive conclusion" and accused Israel of having "violated the cessation of hostilities agreement" despite Hezbollah’s commitment. With the ceasefire under pressure from continued strikes in southern Lebanon and the prospect of further Washington talks, the sources present the next steps as contingent on security arrangements and withdrawal timelines rather than normalization.

“Israel struck Beirut on Wednesday for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, with Israel saying it targeted a commander of the militant group's elite Radwan force in the city's southern suburbs”

Japan Today