Netanyahu to launch Lebanon talks as Hezbollah war tests Iran truce

In a significant development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has instructed his government to “open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” focusing on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between the two states.

The remarks came a day after the Israeli military carried out its most intense airstrikes across Lebanon since the war began, killing at least 250 people and injuring 1,165, according to Lebanese health authorities. 

Meanwhile, in a swipe at Iran, Lebanon's prime minister said that "negotiations must be conducted solely by the Lebanese state." Israel continued to pound the country Thursday after President Donald Trump said the fragile Iran ceasefire did not include Lebanon.

Iran warned it could abandon the diplomatic process ahead of planned talks in Islamabad this weekend if Israel does not halt its strikes. Hezbollah continued firing rockets at Israeli population centers Thursday.

Despite saying no Iranian projectiles had been fired at its territory for the first time since the war began, the United Arab Emirates is hardening its stance toward Iran. A senior Emirati official said Thursday that “niceties” toward Tehran are over. Still, signs of some Gulf diplomatic engagement have emerged: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, held a phone call late Wednesday — their first since the war began.

President Trump said Tuesday that the ceasefire would be contingent on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic, but transit remained heavily restricted. Bloomberg reported that just seven ships exited the Gulf on Wednesday and Thursday morning combined, compared with a typical daily flow of 100 to 135 vessels before the war.