Israel and Hezbollah continued their exchange of attacks on Friday, albeit with reduced intensity. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has instructed his cabinet to initiate ceasefire talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible.” This directive comes a day after Israel launched its most extensive attacks yet on its neighbor, resulting in the deaths of at least 300 people and injuring 1,150.
In a Hebrew statement posted on X on Thursday, Netanyahu stated that his request followed “repeated calls” from Beirut to engage in direct discussions. However, he confirmed that Israel is still targeting Hezbollah, even as analysts caution that these attacks could jeopardize peace talks between the United States and Iran, which are scheduled to commence on Saturday in Pakistan.
Israel’s heaviest bombing campaign in Lebanon on Wednesday occurred without the usual warnings, just hours after the US and Iran declared a ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran, which began on February 28.
Strikes persisted in Lebanon on Friday morning, though at a slower pace. Hezbollah, in turn, has also launched missiles into Israel. Experts suggest that Wednesday’s deadly attacks were likely intended to disrupt Tehran’s negotiations with the US, as Iran has insisted that a halt to hostilities against both Iran and Lebanon must form the basis for any discussions.
Iran-backed Hezbollah began striking Israel in defense of Tehran, thereby opening another front in the US-Israel war. Israel claims its retaliatory actions and subsequent invasion of southern Lebanon are aimed at targeting fighter positions. However, thousands of civilians have perished, and over a million people have been displaced.
Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 18 years, starting in 1982, in response to armed attacks from Palestinian fighters. Hezbollah was formed in resistance to that invasion. The group has since evolved 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, remains active.
**What We Know About Lebanese-Israeli Talks:**
**Are ceasefire talks truly underway?**
As of Friday morning, both the Israeli and Lebanese governments have indicated a willingness to engage in peace talks. Nevertheless, Israel’s ongoing bombing of Lebanon is fueling skepticism among analysts regarding its genuine intentions.
For Israel, disarming Hezbollah remains a top priority, as Netanyahu reiterated in a televised address on Thursday. He added that Israel would continue striking the group even as he directed ceasefire talks to begin. In an X statement, Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir declared 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 welcomed Netanyahu’s announcement of talks. However, Beirut has firmly stated that there will be no negotiations while the country is under attack. Analysts suggest Israel may have no alternative but to comply, as reports indicate Washington is exerting pressure, prioritizing the protection of its talks with Iran. An unnamed US official informed AFP news agency that the US has even offered to mediate and host Israeli and Lebanese negotiators.
The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump pressured Netanyahu to cease bombing Lebanon after Wednesday’s intense barrage. In a shorter-than-usual phone call, Trump delivered a stern warning to Netanyahu regarding Israel’s actions in Lebanon, according to the WSJ. The US president confirmed to NBC on Thursday that he had spoken with Netanyahu and that Israel would “be sort of a little more low-key.” Vice President JD Vance also stated that Israel has agreed to “check itself” in Lebanon. Israel is also facing pressure from its European allies, particularly Germany and France, to halt attacks on Lebanon.
However, talks between the Lebanese and Israeli governments—if they materialize—will be fraught with difficulty, reported Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr from Beirut. While the Lebanese government itself outlawed Hezbollah’s military wing in March, blaming it for drawing Lebanon into the US-Israel war on Iran, Beirut will insist on a complete cessation of all hostilities before any discussions. On the other hand, Hezbollah, which holds 15 of 128 seats in parliament, has rejected any talks with Israel. Analysts note that Iran’s insistence on including Lebanon in the agreement, while beneficial, also risks angering the government in Beirut. Lebanon, they say, desires greater autonomy over its involvement in wars.
**Why Does Lebanon Matter for US-Iran Ceasefire Negotiations?**
Iran explicitly stated in its 10-point proposal to the US that Israel and Washington must halt attacks on all its allies—including Hezbollah—for the two-week ceasefire announced on Tuesday to hold and for negotiations to commence. Against this backdrop, Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon is now violating Tehran’s red lines, analysts point out, and could destabilize the fragile truce between the US and Iran.
Israel claimed to have killed an aide to Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem during the major escalation on Wednesday and confirmed on Friday that it still maintains troops in southern Lebanon. Iran has condemned the attacks on Lebanon, labeling them a “grave violation” of its deal with the US, and has threatened “strong responses.” Middle East analyst Mohamad Elmasry believes Tehran will likely insist on a Lebanon ceasefire during the Islamabad talks. Not doing so “would be stabbing the Lebanese, stabbing Hezbollah in the back” from Iran’s perspective, Elmasry told Al Jazeera. “They understand Israel is on a path to a ‘Greater Israel,’ as they call it; they are going through systematically country by country… so it’s really important for the entire region that Israel stops.”
**Why Was There Confusion Over Whether Lebanon Was Included in Iran-US Talks?**
After Iran and the US confirmed Tuesday’s ceasefire, thousands of displaced people in Lebanon began returning to their homes in celebration. Iran, in its statements, had asserted that the two-week ceasefire encompassed the Lebanon front. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who brokered the talks, stated that the US and Israel, “along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.”
The US initially offered no comment on Lebanon in its statements. Trump did mention that “almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran.” He also described Iran’s 10-point plan as “workable.” However, after Wednesday’s devastating bombing in Beirut, Trump declared that Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire deal with Iran. The White House reiterated this assertion, insisting that Lebanon was not included in the agreement. US Vice President JD Vance, expected to lead his country’s delegation at the Islamabad talks on Saturday, also claimed that the Iranians had a “genuine misunderstanding” and that Lebanon was not part of the truce. Nevertheless, Vance stated that Israel would reduce the intensity of its attacks on Lebanon to give the Islamabad dialogue a chance, a claim Trump echoed on Thursday.
Pakistan’s Sharif described the attacks as “violations of ceasefire… across the conflict zone” in an X statement on the same day, without directly naming Israel. Yet, while Israel’s Friday morning attacks on Lebanon were not as extensive as Wednesday’s strikes, Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir stated that his forces were not adhering to any ceasefire in Lebanon. “No one seems to agree about what everyone agreed about,” Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera. “We don’t know what both sides think they agreed to. And then you have the added complication, which is particularly pertinent to Lebanon, that various parties to the conflict were not represented at the table. The Gulf states were not represented, and [neither was] Israel.”
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