Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that he had authorized direct talks with Lebanon aimed at disarming Hezbollah and ending the conflict between the two sides, even as he vowed to continue military strikes against Hezbollah. The first round is set to be held at the State Department in Washington next week. Netanyahu’s decision comes amid intense diplomatic pressure from Israel’s allies and partners to ease its ongoing military campaign against Lebanon, which Iran has claimed is a violation of the ceasefire deal that was announced earlier this week. Yesterday, on the first full day of the truce, Israel unleashed a massive aerial bombardment of Lebanon, hitting more than 100 targets in just 10 minutes. Some of the airstrikes used heavy munitions against densely populated sections of Beirut.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 09, 2026 18:38 UTC