Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has directed his cabinet to begin ceasefire talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible”, a day after his country unleashed the largest-scale attacks yet on its neighbour, killing at least 300 people and injuring 1,150. In an X statement in Hebrew on Thursday, Netanyahu said he had made the request after “repeated calls” from Beirut to open direct talks but confirmed that Israel is still striking Hezbollah – even as analysts warn that the attacks could derail peace talks between the United States and Iran set to begin on Saturday in Pakistan. Israel’s heaviest bombing of Lebanon on Wednesday came without usual warnings, just hours after the US and Iran announced a ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran that began on February 28.
Strikes continued in Lebanon on Friday morning, although at a reduced pace. Hezbollah, too, has fired missiles into Israel. Experts say Wednesday’s bloody attacks were likely designed to derail Tehran’s talks with the US, as Iran has insisted that halting fire on both Iran and Lebanon would form the basis for any negotiations.
Iran-backed Hezbollah began hitting Israel in defence of Tehran, opening up another front in the US-Israel war. Israel says its retaliation and consequent invasion of southern Lebanon are aimed at targeting fighter positions, but thousands of civilians have died, and more than one million people have been displaced. Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 18 years from 1982 in response to armed attacks from Palestinian fighters, and Hezbollah was formed in resistance to that invasion.
The group has since morphed into a political party represented in parliament, but its armed wing, described as equivalent to a medium-sized army and stronger than the Lebanese military, has remained active. Here’s what we know about the Lebanese-Israeli talks: As of Friday morning, both the Israeli and Lebanese governments have signalled willingness to hold peace talks, but Israel’s continued bombing of the country is causing scepticism among analysts as to its real intentions. For Israel, disarming Hezbollah is a priority, Netanyahu reiterated in a televised address on Thursday, adding that Israel would continue striking the group even as he directed ceasefire talks to start.
In an X statement, Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said on Friday: “We continue to fight against Hezbollah with great intensity … we are prepared to resume fighting with great determination if required at any given moment.” Lebanese Prime Minister Joseph Aoun, in his response to Netanyahu’s announcement of talks, said he welcomed the move. However, Beirut has insisted that there will be no negotiations with the country under fire. Israel may have no choice but to comply, analysts say, as reports emerge that Washington, racing to protect its talks with Iran as a priority, is applying pressure.
The US has even offered to mediate and host Israeli and Lebanese negotiators, an unnamed US official told news agency. The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump pressured Netanyahu to stop bombing Lebanon after Wednesday’s barrage of bombs. In a shorter than usual phone call, Trump delivered a stern warning to Netanyahu over Israel’s actions in Lebanon, the WSJ reported.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
