As shells and diplomacy collided, Israel and Hezbollah traded fire on the ground while Lebanese and Israeli envoys sat down in Washington, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cast the militant group as the sole obstacle to a peace agreement. The latest violence followed US President Donald Trump's announcement on Monday that he had brokered a deal. The Lebanese embassy in Washington said the arrangement would initially apply only to Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Hezbollah attacks on Israeli territory, before later…

The threat of a wider war sharpened on Monday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had warned US President Donald Trump that Israel would hit Beirut if Hezbollah kept up attacks on Israeli communities. "I spoke with President Trump this evening and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our towns and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut," Mr Netanyahu said in a statement from his office. "Our position on this issue has not changed. At the same time, the IDF will continue…

Even before officials convened in Washington, the fault lines over Israel-Lebanon talks were already on display in Beirut, where opposition to the meeting had spilled into the streets. Demonstrators have gathered in the Lebanese capital in recent days, making their objections unmistakable - and impossible to ignore. For many in the city, the idea of direct engagement with Israel amounts to betrayal, all the more so because the talks have stirred speculation about possible "normalisation" between the two states. Hezbollah…

A pair of deadly attacks in southern Lebanon that killed three UN peacekeepers last month were most likely caused by Israeli tank fire in one case and a Hezbollah improvised explosive device in another, according to preliminary findings from a United Nations investigation shared last night. "We have requested with the relevant parties that the cases be investigated and prosecuted by national authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure criminal accountability for crimes against peacekeepers," Stephane…

Israel pounded Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, with a pre-dawn wave of strikes targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, the military said, after it had called on residents in several areas to evacuate. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on 2 March to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, Israel has struck targets across Lebanon and deployed ground forces in the country’s south. In a short statement, the army said its forces were…

Early this morning, the Israeli military said it launched a barrage of strikes on Beirut aimed at the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, hours after urging residents in several districts to evacuate. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on 2 March, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and sent ground troops into the country's south. In a brief statement this morning, the Israeli…

BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and multiple areas across Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah said it launched rockets and drones at a military base near Haifa in northern Israel, calling the operation retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a statement, the Iran-aligned Lebanese group said the attack was “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and “in response to the repeated Israeli aggressions.” “The resistance leadership has always affirmed that the…

Israel expanded its campaign against Iran on multiple fronts, launching new strikes in Tehran and against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled the U.S.-Israeli operation could continue for weeks and confirmed the first American deaths of the conflict. The Israeli military said its air force had established aerial superiority over Tehran and hit intelligence, security and military command centers across the capital. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel, including in Tel Aviv, where…

An Israeli strike in eastern Lebanon killed eight Hezbollah members during a meeting in the Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah official said, as Israel broadened its operations hours after announcing strikes on Hamas targets in the country’s south. Lebanon’s health ministry reported 12 deaths across two regions where Hezbollah holds sway. The Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all eight members were gathered near the town of Riyak in the Baalbek-Hermel governorate when the strike hit. A statement from the…

In a rare and violent escalation, an Israeli strike in the heart of Beirut claimed the life of Mohammed Afif al-Naboulsi, Hezbollah's chief spokesperson, on Sunday. Meanwhile, tensions also flared in northern Gaza, where an airstrike in Beit Lahiya left at least 30 dead, according to the local hospital director speaking to The Associated Press. Hezbollah acknowledged al-Naboulsi's death in a statement, noting that he was killed at the Arab Socialist Baath Party's headquarters. Al-Naboulsi had gained prominence when tensions…