Overview
- President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon is ready to negotiate an agreement to halt Israeli strikes and secure a pullback from five occupied hills, with Lebanese troops deploying at those points.
- He said talks need not be direct and could be sponsored by the US, the UN or the international community, with the existing ceasefire monitoring committee verifying state-only deployments.
- Israeli strikes intensified this week, including an airstrike that killed 13 people in the Ein el-Hilweh camp near Sidon, which Israel described as targeting militants and locals disputed.
- The US- and French-brokered 2024 ceasefire called for Israeli withdrawal and Lebanese army and UNIFIL deployment, yet Israeli forces remain at five locations inside Lebanon.
- Israeli officials say Hezbollah is trying to rebuild, while Beirut cites steps to disarm the group and Washington presses for faster, concrete progress.