Israel

Israel, Lebanon agree to 45-day extension of ceasefire after US talks

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire after another round of talks in Washington, the US State Department said Friday. It comes after two "productive" days of talks, and will be followed by more negotiations June 2-3, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. A shaky truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon had been due to end on Sunday. "We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border," Pigott said on social media.

Israel-Lebanon hold 3rd round of talks as fighting with Hezbollah continues

A third round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon kicked off in Washington Thursday, days before the expiration of a truce that reduced but did not stop the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Lebanese officials are hoping that the two-day negotiations will yield a new ceasefire deal and pave the way for tackling a series of thorny issues, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah. The Trump administration has been pushing for a breakthrough between the two neighbours that have been officially in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948. Hezbollah, however, is not part of those talks and has been vocally opposed to Lebanon engaging in direct negotiations with Israel. Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group have continued to trade near-constant fire across the border despite a US-brokered ceasefire on April 17. Initially a 10-day truce, it was then extended for another three ...

Israeli drone strikes on vehicles in Lebanon kill 12, including 2 children

Israeli airstrikes Wednesday struck seven vehicles in Lebanon - three of them on the main highway just south of Beirut - killing 12 people including a woman and her two children, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, hours after telling residents of six southern villages to evacuate. Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbours that have been in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948. The United Nations has also accused Hezbollah of drone strikes near its peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' message to both sides is that they must observe the ceasefire and stop all attacks, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said. The Health Ministry confirmed the seven airstrikes on vehicles, but didn't provide full detai

Israel sent Iron Dome batteries, personnel to UAE for defence: US envoy

Israel sent Iron Dome anti-missile batteries and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates to defend the country during the Iran war, the US ambassador to the country said Tuesday. Mike Huckabee made the comment on stage at an event in Tel Aviv, Israel. "I'd like to say a word of appreciation for United Arab Emirates, the first Abraham accord member," Huckabee said at the Tel Aviv Conference. "Just look at the benefits. Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them." The United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, diplomatically recognised Israel in 2020. The UAE did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the acknowledgment by Huckabee, though it underlined the growing defence relationship between the countries long suspicious of Iran.

Netanyahu orders IDF strikes in Beirut targeting Hezbollah commander

The strikes come amid an ongoing ceasefire framework between Israel and Lebanon

US approves $8.6 bn arms sales to West Asian allies amid Iran tensions

The approvals come as the US and Israel's war against Iran entered its ninth week since the conflict began, and more than three weeks after a fragile ceasefire took effect

Hezbollah adopts new weapon: Fibre-optic drones, used widely in Ukraine war

Hezbollah has launched a new weapon against northern Israel in the latest round of fighting: small drones controlled with fibre-optic cables the width of dental floss that avoid electronic detection. These drones - used widely in the war in Ukraine - are small, hard to track and potentially lethal. Many drones are susceptible to electronic jamming by air defences. Jamming can cause a drone to crash or return to its point of origin. But fibre-optic drones are not controlled remotely. They have a thin cable that connects an operator directly to the drone, making it impossible to electronically jam. The drones are not infallible because the wind - or other drones - can cause the cables to tangle. But, "if you know what you're doing, it's absolutely deadly", said Robert Tollast, a drone expert and researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, explaining how the drone can fly low and creep up on a target. Experts say militaries must either intercept the drones, which is

Israel & India stands united against terrorism: Israeli Ambassador | Pahalgam attack anniversary

Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, led the global remembrance of the barbaric terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, as the international community reaffirmed its solidarity with New Delhi

Ex-Israeli PMs Bennett, Lapid unite to challenge Netanyahu in elections

The agreement between two leaders was finalised on Saturday evening, with both sides confirming that their respective parties, Yesh Atid and Bennett 2026, will contest the elections as a single list

Best of BS Opinion: Hopes fade for early resolution of West Asia crisis

From rising West Asia tensions and oil shocks to heat stress on food systems and women farmers' role in India, here are the key insights from Business Standard's Opinion page today

What went wrong: A stark reappraisal of Israel's political trajectory

In his new book, Israel: What Went Wrong?, Bartov reflects on what has happened in the two and a half years since that episode

Israel, Hezbollah exchange strikes despite ceasefire extension with Lebanon

The Israel Defence Forces said it carried out strikes on Hezbollah rocket launchers in the southern Lebanese towns of Yater and Kafra

Trump asks Iran to stop supporting Hezbollah; Israel, Lebanon hail US talks

US President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to "shoot and kill" Iranian small boats choking the Strait of Hormuz. In a social media post Thursday morning, he said the military is intensifying its mine clearing efforts in the critical waterway. The move intensified the U.S.-Iran standoff in the Persian Gulf and raised questions about efforts to end the war. Later Thursday, Trump said Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House. The meeting Thursday was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries since last week. The initial 10-day ceasefire, which took effect last Friday, had been due to expire Monday. Meanwhile, the U.S. military said it seized another tanker Thursday associated with smuggling Iranian oil, the Majestic X, in the Indian Ocean, deepening confusion over efforts to end the war. The seizure comes after a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of ...

Israel and Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire by 3 weeks, says Trump

President Donald Trump says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House on Thursday. Trump says the meeting between Israel's and Lebanon's ambassadors to the United States went "very well." The meeting was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries since last week. The initial 10-day ceasefire, which took effect last Friday, had been due to expire Monday.

Lebanon, Israel to resume direct talks in Washington to extend ceasefire

Lebanon and Israel were set to begin a second session of direct talks in Washington on Thursday to discuss the possibility of extending a truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and plans for future negotiations between the two neighbours with a long history of hostile relations. The meeting between Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad and her Israeli counterpart Yechiel Leiter is the second between the two diplomats, days after they held the first such direct talks between the two countries in three decades. Lebanon President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that contacts are ongoing to extend the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect Friday. Hamadeh will put forward an extension of the ceasefire during the meeting and ask for an end to ongoing Israeli home demolitions in villages and towns occupied by Israel after the latest war broke out on March 2, Aoun said in comments released by his office. Preparations are ongoing for ...

Negotiations not weakness, country reclaimed its sovereignty: Lebanese prez

President Joseph Aoun on Friday struck a defiant tone in his first address since a US-brokered ceasefire took hold, saying he wants Lebanon to chart its own course after weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah. The president said he wants to see Lebanon "flourishing, not committing suicide". He condemned Hezbollah's rocket fire into northern Israel that triggered the latest round of fighting, and criticised Iran's role in arming and backing the group. He framed both as violations of Lebanese sovereignty, and again vowed to disarm non-state groups, including Hezbollah. In a pointed response to Hezbollah's criticism of Lebanon's direct talks with Israel and claims that Beirut lacks leverage, Aoun said the country will make its own decisions and stand by demands shared across Lebanese society, not ones dictated by Iran or its allies. "There will be no concessions to any principle, no infringement of the sovereignty of this country," he said. Aoun also reiterated calls for Israel t

'Enough is enough': Trump says Israel barred from bombing Lebanon

"Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!" Trump said in a social media post

Trump yielded to Iran pressure, forced Netanyahu: Lebanese MP on ceasefire

Hassan, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance, affiliated with Hezbollah, made these remarks while speaking in the Lebanese Parliament, according to Iranian state media Press TV

West Asia war: Trump may extend ceasefire with Iran amid Hormuz blockade

Donald Trump says Iran ceasefire may be extended as talks continue; he signals progress in negotiations and said he could visit Islamabad if a peace deal is signed