Israel-Lebanon negotiations extended by one day
Shafaq News- Washington/ Beirut
US-mediated negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, originally scheduled to conclude on June 25, will continue for an additional day, the US State Department stated on Friday.
Lebanon's An-Nahar newspaper reported that discussions have become increasingly complicated by unresolved disputes and Iran's role in the security arrangements linked to the ceasefire. Israeli negotiators have refused to discuss a timetable for leaving southern Lebanon and continue to tie any redeployment to Hezbollah's complete disarmament.
Read more: US-Iran ceasefire deal leaves Lebanon without guarantees
The newspaper also said that Israel rejected more than 10 proposals submitted by the Lebanese delegation and US mediators for pilot security zones, insisting that the Lebanese Army operate only outside the Israeli-controlled area on both sides of the Litani River.
Speaking during Ashura* commemorations, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem reiterated that Israel has “no option” but to withdraw completely from Lebanese territory, rejecting any arrangement that undermines Lebanon's sovereignty, and insisting the group remains committed to the Nov. 27, 2024 ceasefire framework, under which security measures apply only south of the Litani River.
The extension comes as the Israeli army announced that a combat officer was moderately wounded, while another officer and two soldiers sustained minor injuries during an exchange of fire with a Hezbollah fighter in the southern Lebanese village of Beit Yahun.
According to Israeli Army Radio, troops from the 679th Brigade were operating in the village when a Hezbollah member inside a building threw a hand grenade at the force. The soldiers returned fire, killing the attacker before evacuating the wounded to hospital.
Hezbollah has not commented on the incident.
* Ashura, observed on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram, marks the killing of Imam Hussein bin Ali, the third Shia Imam and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. For Shia Muslims, the occasion symbolizes sacrifice, dignity, and resistance to injustice.
