Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will start direct negotiations with Lebanon on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between the two countries.
Israel’s deadly offensive against Hezbollah has been a contentious point in the uneasy Iran war ceasefire. Tehran insists Lebanon is part of the deal, but the US and Israel claim it’s not.
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- US President Donald Trump asked Netanyahu to scale back Israeli attacks in Lebanon and enter into the negotiations, a US official and a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
- Netanyahu has instructed his cabinet to begin these talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible.”
- Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam instructed the country’s security forces to clear the capital of non-state arms, a move likely directed at Hezbollah.
- The diplomatic news came as international backlash mounts over Israel’s massive strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, which killed 182 people and wounded 890 others.
- Meanwhile, American officials are preparing for high-stakes negotiations in Pakistan this weekend, people familiar with the matter said.
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published a map showing what it said were “alternative routes for transit” through the Strait of Hormuz.
- US oil futures raced back to $100 a barrel today as the ceasefire with Iran has yet to result in a full reopening of the strait.
- House Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to force Republicans to take up a measure reining in Trump’s military authority.
- The conflict in the Middle East has led to a sharp reversal in the International Monetary Fund’s outlook for the global economy, its managing director said.