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Lebanon demands ceasefire before direct Israel negotiations
A senior aide to Lebanon's president told the BBC on Friday that Beirut will only join face-to-face talks with Israel next week if a ceasefire is already in place.
Netanyahu green-lights talks after Lebanese requests
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Thursday that he had instructed his cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanon. He cited "repeated requests from the Lebanese government" and stated the talks would pursue two objectives: disarming Hezbollah and securing a "historic and sustainable peace agreement."
The United States will host a meeting in Washington next week to "discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations," a State Department official confirmed.
Latest strikes kill 21 in Lebanon
Lebanese authorities reported 21 fatalities in the most recent Israeli air raids. Seven members of one family died in Abbassieh, while 11 others were killed in Zrarieh. A medical centre in Burj Qalaway was struck, claiming two more lives, and an ambulance in Toul was targeted by a drone without causing casualties.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they hit approximately 10 rocket launchers overnight that had fired into northern Israel. The IDF added they are continuing to locate and destroy additional launch sites.
Hezbollah retaliates, fires deepest rocket yet
Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel overnight, setting off sirens nationwide. One projectile aimed at Ashdod-Hezbollah's deepest strike in the current conflict-was intercepted, the IDF said. The group also struck Kiryat Shmona near the border at 10:00 (06:00 BST) and Misgav Am in the Upper Galilee; no injuries were reported.
Hezbollah claimed the attacks were retaliation for what it called Israel's "violation" of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement.
Dispute over ceasefire coverage
There is sharp disagreement over whether Lebanon was included in the US-Iran ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Iran and Pakistan, which mediated the truce, insist it covered Lebanon, while Washington and Israel deny it did.
"Israeli strikes on Lebanon constitute a grave violation of the ceasefire,"
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC on Thursday.
US Vice-President JD Vance, speaking in Budapest on Wednesday, said, "I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't." Netanyahu declared in a Thursday night address that "there is no ceasefire in Lebanon."
Humanitarian crisis deepens
UN agencies warn that more than one million people have been displaced in Lebanon, with food prices climbing. The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that disrupted incomes and soaring costs are creating a food security emergency.
WFP, which was already assisting thousands of families before the latest escalation, plans to expand its support. However, delivering supplies-especially to southern Lebanon-has become increasingly difficult, with convoys taking up to 15 hours to cover short distances.
Beirut reels from heaviest strikes since latest conflict began
Rescue teams in Beirut continue to recover bodies after Wednesday's 10-minute Israeli air campaign-the most intense since the current round of fighting erupted. Lebanon's health ministry reported over 300 dead and more than 1,000 injured.
The IDF stated it had targeted "100+ Hezbollah headquarters, military arrays, and command-and-control centres."
"You cannot manage what happened, the number of bombs. In a very, very short period, complete damage everywhere. It was astonishing."
Mohammad Hamoud, whose family pharmacy in Ain el Mreisseh was destroyed
