US president Donald Trump has announced that Israeli and Lebanese leaders will hold historic talks later on Thursday, even as Israel continued to batter southern Lebanon with airstrikes.
“It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow,” Trump said on Truth Social in a midnight post.
Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington, following more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. At least 2,124 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon and more than one million displaced, according to the health ministry.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran to revive peace talks between the US and Iran, with the White House optimistic about a deal to end the war. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “We feel good about the prospects of a deal.”
But Leavitt said reports that the US has requested an extended ceasefire in the Iran war are wrong. The ceasefire, which remains fragile, is set to end next week.
