Netanyahu orders Lebanon peace talks as Israeli strikes kill 254

Shafaq News- Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday he had directed his security cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanon, citing requests from the Lebanese government -even as Israeli strikes on Beirut continued for a second day, killing 303 people and wounding 1,150.

"We will not stop fighting in Lebanon until security is restored for northern residents, Hezbollah is disarmed, and a peace agreement is reached," Netanyahu said in a televised address. He framed the negotiations as a path toward "a historic and sustainable peace between Israel and Lebanon," and said the military campaign had produced a "historic shift" in Israel's regional standing. "Israel is stronger than ever and Iran is weaker than ever," he said, adding that he had now concluded four peace agreements with Arab states and intended to pursue more "from a position of strength."

The Lebanese government renewed its condemnation of the strikes. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam ordered immediate steps to assert state control over Beirut, consolidate weapons under state authority, and tighten security measures to prevent further Israeli targeting of the capital. Salam had separately asked Pakistan to support an immediate halt to Israeli attacks, according to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office.

International criticism of the Israeli assault mounted across multiple capitals and institutions, with Britain, France, Australia, China, Spain, the UAE, Qatar, Cyprus, the United Nations, Russia, and Turkiye all voicing condemnation.