Israel and Lebanon resume negotiations this Thursday in the USA, one day after attack killed Lebanese journalist

Journalist, Amal Khalil was killed this Wednesday (22) in southern Lebanon Mohammed Zaatari / AP A new round of negotiations in Washington between the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel is scheduled to take place this Thursday (23). US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to participate in the meeting, which takes place a day after an Israeli attack killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil in southern Lebanon. The attack also injured a photographer who accompanied Khalil, according to a senior Lebanese military official and the journalist’s employer, the Al-Akhbar newspaper. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that the Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Nada Moawad, will ask for an extension of the ceasefire and an end to demolitions carried out by Israel in villages in the south. ➡️ Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ten-day ceasefire on April 16. The announcement was made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump. A Lebanese official said Beirut wants the extension of the truce as a precondition for expanding negotiations beyond the level of ambassadors, moving to a next phase in which Lebanon would push for: Israeli withdrawal Return of Lebanese detained in Israel Definition of the land border. Donald Trump announces ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, said in a speech that the country made a “historic decision to negotiate directly with Lebanon after more than 40 years”, while at the same time calling the country a “failed state”. “We will work together against the terrorist state that Hezbollah has built on its territory,” said Saar, addressing Lebanon. Lebanon and Israel have officially remained in a state of war since Israel’s creation in 1948. The Lebanese state’s main Shiite authority, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, is against direct negotiations with Israel, stating that Beirut could negotiate indirectly. Lebanon’s top Druze political leader, Walid Jumblatt, said on Tuesday that the most the country can offer is an update to the 1949 armistice agreement with Israel. Will Israel and Hezbollah comply with the ceasefire? Attack that killed journalist There was no immediate comment from the Israeli Army on Khalil’s death. Earlier, the Israeli military said in a statement that it had received reports that two journalists were injured as a result of its attacks. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll this Wednesday to five people. It was the deadliest day since a 10-day ceasefire was announced on April 16 to halt hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering events near the city of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them. They ran to a nearby house, which was also the target of an Israeli attack, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, senior Lebanese military official and media advocates. Lebanese rescuers managed to rescue Faraj, who suffered a head injury, according to Elsy Moufarrej, head of the Union of Journalists in Lebanon. When rescuers returned to help Khalil, the Israeli army threw a sound effect grenade, blocking access to the damaged building, Moufarrej and the senior military official said. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the attack on journalists and obstruction of rescue efforts constituted “war crimes.” “Lebanon will spare no effort to bring these crimes to the competent international authorities,” he said on the X network. The Ministry of Health stated that the Israeli Army “prevented the completion of the humanitarian mission by firing a sound effect grenade and live ammunition at the ambulance.” Rescuers were able to return to the scene about four hours after the initial attack. After another three hours of searching through the rubble, they managed to recover the journalist’s lifeless body, said the senior military officer. Al-Akhbar announced the death on its website. In a previous statement, the Israeli army denied having prevented rescue teams from reaching the area. Cars crossed Hezbollah defense line, says Israel The Israeli army said it had identified two vehicles that left a military structure used by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and crossed the “advanced line of defense”, a term used by the Israeli military to refer to the delimitation of the area of ​​southern Lebanon occupied by its troops. According to the military, the cars “approached the troops in a way that represented an immediate threat to their safety”, and as a result one of the vehicles was hit, followed by a nearby building. The Israeli army has stated that it does not target journalists. Two people died in the first attack on the car, Lebanese state media reported. In March, an Israeli airstrike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon, with the Israeli military claiming it had hit one of the reporters. Israeli airstrike kills journalists in Lebanon More than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched an offensive in response to the Hezbollah attack on March 2, according to Lebanese officials. Israel has seized a swath of border territory where its troops remain, saying it seeks to create a buffer zone to protect northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah, which has fired hundreds of rockets into the country during the conflict. *With information from Reuters.

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