Ambassadors from Lebanon and Israel were scheduled to meet for a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday, with the Lebanese hoping to enlist the Trump administration’s assistance in ending the massive Israeli offensive against Hezbollah.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had “PROHIBITED” Israel from continuing its pervasive bombing campaigns in Lebanon.
The Christian population of southern Lebanon could be able to return to their homes following the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel that took effect on Friday, but it remains to be seen how many will do so given the scale of destruction from the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday the ceasefire agreement his government mediated between the United States and Iran would also cover Lebanon, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly stated that operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon would continue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday they have instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to destroy all bridges over Lebanon’s Litani River and wipe out structures that could be used to shelter Hezbollah fighters in an effort to apply the “Gaza model” to the Iran-backed terrorists of Lebanon.
The Lebanese government pushed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah this week, citing the vast number of civilians displaced from southern Lebanon by the fighting.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it targeted commanders from the Quds Force, the elite foreign espionage unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with airstrikes on Beirut.
The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah launched missiles and drones at Israel on Sunday night, ostensibly in revenge for the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pope Leo XIV, addressing the leaders of the government of Lebanon on Sunday, urged them to consider “what can be done to ensure that young people in particular do not feel compelled to leave their homeland and emigrate. ” He added rejecting migration is “very valuable” and requires “real courage.”
The Maronite Christian bishops of Lebanon issued a joint statement last week denouncing Israel’s “daily attacks on the South and other regions of Lebanon, which are bringing the country to the brink of war once again.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched heavy airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Thursday, accusing Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire agreement by rebuilding its military presence in the region.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that he wants negotiations with Israel, mediated by President Donald Trump.
Lebanon on Tuesday suspended the operating license of a Hezbollah-linked non-governmental organization (NGO) called the Rissalat Association because it projected images of slain Hezbollah leaders onto a beloved national landmark.
The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV will make visits to Turkey and Lebanon beginning in late November, his first international travel as the head of the Catholic Church.
