President Donald Trump announced potential consultations with Israel and Lebanon

Israel continues military operations against the forces of the Hezbollah Shia movement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.

Key information about the current developments.

Potential Israel-Lebanon negotiations

• The leaders of Israel and Lebanon will hold talks on Thursday, Donand Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
• He pointed out that the two countries’ leaders would hold a conversation for the first time in 34 years.
• Israeli Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel confirmed to the Galei Tzahal radio station that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was planned to communicate with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Lebanon’s position

• Lebanon is unaware of any planned communication with Israel, AFP reported, citing a source.
• Lebanon received no notifications of potential talks through official channels, the source noted.

Israel’s desire of 'peace through strength'

• Israel continues military operations against Hezbollah units, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
• According to him, in Lebanon, Israel seeks "peace through strength".
• Netanyahu pointed out that he had ordered the army "to continue expanding the security zone" in southern Lebanon.
• He added that Israel was close to seizing the city of Bint Jbeil and would "destroy Hezbollah’s largest stronghold."
• Meanwhile, Netanyahu noted that Israel was in talks with Lebanon "after a pause of over 40 years."
• The two main goals of the talks with Lebanon include Hezbollah’s disarmament and the establishment of lasting peace through strength, the Israeli prime minister stated.

Bilateral consultations

• Israeli and Lebanese officials held a preliminary meeting in Washington on April 14, where they agreed to launch direct talks, the US Department of State said.
• Sources say that "Lebanon did not achieve what it had asked for in terms of a ceasefire" at the April 14 talks, held at the level of ambassadors.
• Beirut expects to sign a temporary ceasefire agreement with Israel, Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said.
• US-brokered consultations between Israel and Lebanon are aimed at reaching agreements on lasting peace and an end to the influence of Hezbollah, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out.

Attack on Lebanon

• Israel launched a military operation against Hezbollah on March 2, after the pro-Iranian organization started to carry out strikes on the Jewish state in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
• The stated goal of the operation is to create a buffer zone south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon in order to protect northern Israeli settlements from attacks.

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