Israel sets 2-week deadline for Lebanon talks, warns of renewed military escalation

Israel has set a two-week deadline for reaching an agreement with Lebanon during their US-mediated negotiations, warning of renewed military escalation if talks fail, according to Israeli media on Wednesday. The public broadcaster KAN said Tel Aviv has established a “limited timeframe” for the talks, not exceeding two weeks, in a bid to secure what it described as a “real agreement” between the two sides. The outlet said Israel has linked the current ceasefire arrangement – extended until mid-May – to reaching a substantive deal with Lebanon within that period. “We cannot wait indefinitely… we will give negotiations only an additional two weeks,” KAN said, citing an unnamed Israeli official. According to the broadcaster, Israeli assessments indicate that failure to achieve tangible progress within this timeframe could lead to a resumption of fighting and the launch of intensified military operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. KAN said the US administration is leading efforts to arrange a direct meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun within the two-week period, despite significant doubts among the parties about the possibility of holding such a high-level summit. Trump first announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on April 17, before saying Thursday it would be extended by three weeks. According to official Lebanese figures, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 2,534 people, wounded 7,863 others, and displaced more than 1.6 million people.​​​​​​​ *Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.