In a first meeting, the United States and Iran show signs of pragmatism and limited aims, which would make success more likely. But hard-liners on both sides β and Israel β are bound to balk.
Steve Witkoff, left, President Trumpβs special envoy, in Washington last month, and Abbas Araghchi, Iranβs foreign minister, in Tehran in February. The two men led negotiations on Saturday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) redeployed Tuesday in accord with the ceasefire deal that ended the war with Hezbollah -- though Lebanon is formally objecting to Israel retaining a "buffer zone."
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will hold five strategic posts inside southern Lebanon to maintain security and surveillance even after withdrawing from the region on Tuesday in accordance with the ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Novelist Salman Rushdie described Tuesday the moment a knife-wielding attacker stormed on stage and attempted to kill him with a frenzied attack that left him blind in one eye.
Some who left the country in successive waves of emigration have felt drawn back to aid recovery efforts after the bloody and destructive war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a golden pager during their meeting at the White House on Tuesday. The gift references the clandestine operation that decimated the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist groupΒ in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon.
Bloodshed over the weekend highlighted the brittleness of the cease-fires in both places. Still, Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah each have reasons to postpone a new escalation, at least for a few weeks.
The Trump administration has strengthened Israel's bargaining position in its first week in office vis-Γ -vis Hamas and Hezbollah, two Iranian-backed terrorist groups that launched a brutal but failed war against Israel in October 2023.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon, but Israel says that Hezbollah hasnβt upheld its promise and that the Lebanese Army isnβt ready to fill the void.
The United States' new top diplomat Marco Rubio reaffirmed the country's "unwavering support" for Israel during a call Wednesday night to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lebanonβs newly-installed President Joseph Aoun on Monday named the sitting head of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Nawaf Salam, as prime minister on Monday.
The selection of Mr. Salam was seen as a blow to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group and political party that has acted as the real power in Lebanon for decades.
Israeli raids pummeled the historic souk in the city of Nabatieh, in southern Lebanon. Residents and shop owners are only beginning to come to terms with the damage.
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