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Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has strongly opposed an upcoming meeting between the Lebanese government and Israel in the United States, labeling such efforts as 'futile' amid intensified Israeli attacks on Lebanon. In a televised speech on Monday, Qassem called on the Lebanese government to take 'a historic and heroic stance' by not attending the planned talks. The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors are set to meet in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to discuss direct negotiations between the two countries. However, Qassem argued that the talks are a ploy to pressure Hezbollah into laying down its weapons, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly stating that the goal is to disarm Hezbollah. Qassem emphasized that Hezbollah will not back down, stating, 'We will not rest, stop or surrender. Instead, we will let the battlefield speak for itself.' He also accused Israel of continuing its aggressive actions, including near-daily deadly attacks, despite a supposed ceasefire in effect since November 2024. Since Israel intensified its war on Lebanon in early March, at least 2,055 people have been killed, including 165 children and 87 medical workers, with over 6,500 wounded and around 1.2 million displaced. Qassem described the planned talks as a 'free concession' to Israel and the US, and called for a united Lebanese stance against negotiations. The speech followed protests in Beirut against the planned talks, with demonstrators accusing Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of betraying the Lebanese people. The situation remains tense, with the Israeli military claiming to have surrounded the key southern town of Bint Jbeil, while Hezbollah continues to claim attacks against Israeli forces there.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have resulted in at least six fatalities, according to state media reports. The Israeli military claims to have surrounded the main town of Bint Jbeil, a strategic location in the conflict with Hezbollah.The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that one person was killed and nine others injured in an airstrike on the town of Bazouriyeh. Additionally, Israeli air strikes killed one person in Nabatiyeh El Faouqa and three others in Sir el Gharbiyeh and Choukine.The Israeli military also struck a centre of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Tyre, resulting in one injury that later died. Several Red Cross vehicles were damaged in the attack.The Israeli army announced it will have full operational control of Bint Jbeil within days, after claiming to have killed more than 100 Hezbollah fighters there over the past week. Hezbollah has been engaged in fierce fighting with Israeli forces in Bint Jbeil, a town that has been a symbolic and strategic flashpoint in confrontations between the two.Diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict are underway, with Israeli and Lebanese officials set to hold talks in Washington to end the war. Lebanon's culture minister, Ghassan Salame, emphasized the government's focus on securing an immediate halt to hostilities before any peace talks with Israel.Since Israel expanded its offensive in Lebanon on March 2, at least 2,055 people have been killed and over 6,550 others injured. The escalation in Bint Jbeil comes as Hezbollah continues to engage in clashes with Israeli forces, with the group reporting intense clashes on Sunday.

JD Vance, the United States vice‑president, issued a stark warning to Tehran as he boarded Air Force Two for Pakistan: Iran must not attempt to "play" the United States at the peace talks scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad. The talks, mediated by Pakistan, could determine whether the fragile ceasefire in the region holds or if hostilities resume, with significant repercussions for the global economy, especially oil markets. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi have conditioned their participation on two unmet measures: a full ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets. Ghalibaf posted on X that "Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented." Uncertainty lingered on Friday night about whether the Iranian delegation would even travel to Islamabad. Earlier reports indicated that Israel had removed the Iranian officials from its bombing target list at Washington’s request. Meanwhile, Donald Trump amplified the tension, telling the New York Post that U.S. forces were "loading up the ships with the best ammunition" and would use them if negotiations failed. He later posted that Iran "has no cards" except short‑term extortion of international waterways. The backdrop to the talks is a worsening Lebanon‑Israel confrontation. More than 300 Lebanese civilians have been killed since the ceasefire began, and 13 Lebanese security personnel died in an Israeli strike on a government building in Nabatieh. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispute whether the April 7 ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran includes Lebanon, and Israel continues bombing Hezbollah‑linked targets despite Netanyahu’s earlier statements about opening negotiations with the Lebanese government. Oil markets have felt the shock. The February 28 U.S.–Israeli strike on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz—shutting off roughly one‑fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas—triggered a sharp price spike, adding political pressure ahead of the November U.S. congressional elections. Vance, however, expressed optimism as he departed for Islamabad: "We’re looking forward to the negotiation. I think it’s going to be positive. If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand." He added, "If they’re going to try and play us, then they’ll find the negotiating team is not that receptive." The U.S. delegation also includes senior adviser Steve Witkoff and former senior adviser Jared Kushner, both of whom participated in earlier talks on Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes before the February attack. Negotiations are expected to focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the future of Iran’s nuclear program, potential sanctions relief, reparations for war damage, and the release of Americans detained in Iran, according to the Washington Post. Advance teams from the United States and Iran have already taken up rooms at Islamabad’s five‑star Serena hotel, with Pakistani officials acting as intermediaries. Security forces have established a two‑mile perimeter around the hotel, declared a public holiday, and locked down the city centre to ensure a safe environment for the high‑stakes mediation. Hezbollah, while not commenting directly on the Lebanese‑Israeli negotiations, issued a statement urging the Lebanese government to stop "making gratuitous concessions" and vowed to continue fighting to "expel the occupier." The Lebanese army has reinforced its presence in Beirut following an Israeli strike that killed at least 303 people. Fighting persists in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah claiming to have struck Israeli soldiers near Bint Jbeil—a town symbolic of resistance from the 2006 war—and launching rockets into Israel throughout Friday. Israel’s airstrikes across Lebanon have intensified, culminating in the Nabatieh attack that killed the highest number of Lebanese security forces to date.

Israel's latest invasion of Lebanon has resulted in a massive displacement of over 1.2 million people, including 350,000 children, making it one of the world's fastest-growing and most severe displacement crises. Since March 2, Israeli forces have launched over 1,840 attacks on Lebanon, killing more than 1,497 people and injuring over 4,639, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health. The Israeli army claims it is targeting strongholds of the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, stated that Israel plans to destroy Lebanese border towns and continue its occupation of southern Lebanon. The conflict has led to 20% of Lebanon's 5.9 million population being displaced, with one in five people affected. This crisis ranks among the top 10 displacement crises in recent years, according to UNHCR's 2025 data. Attacks have been concentrated in areas such as Bint Jbeil, Nabatieh, Tyre, Marjayoun, and Sidon, with over 2,000 attacks reported between March 2 and March 27. Israel carried out 1,840 of these attacks, mostly air or drone strikes and shelling. The destruction of bridges and crossings in southern Lebanon aims to isolate communities, with the Dalafa bridge and roads between villages like Sohmor and Yohmor being targeted. This has severe implications for access to hospitals and public services. Israel's evacuation orders now cover over 1,470sq km (568sq miles), or about 14% of Lebanon's territory, approaching the scale of Russian occupation in Ukraine.