Lebanese leaders discuss Israel military talks as IDF pushes deeper into Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met on Saturday to discuss US-hosted military talks with Israel, according to the Lebanese Presidency.

The Lebanese delegation "reaffirmed its commitment to prioritising a ceasefire", the presidency said on X.

Aoun and Salam also addressed preparations for the next round of US-mediated negotiations with Israel scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday, it added.

"The meeting further addressed the security situation in the country and the daily monitoring of the situation of people forcibly displaced from their homes and properties," said the presidency.

On Friday, the Pentagon hosted military delegations from Israel and Lebanon to support peace negotiations between the two nations.

Earlier, Beirut and Tel Aviv held three rounds of direct talks since mid-April.

IDF advances deep into Southern Lebanon

The Israeli army has advanced into villages located north of the Litani River and reached the outskirts of Nabatieh city in southern Lebanon, a senior Lebanese military source told Anadolu on Saturday.

The Israeli forces "have reached villages and towns north of the Litani River, including Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Shqif Arnoun, and have reached the outskirts of the city of Nabatieh", said the source.

The IDF crossed Litani River and now moved towards Nabatieh city. PHOTO: ANADOLU

This was accompanied by an increase in Israeli attacks and incursions into more southern villages and towns, it added.

"The Lebanese army has evacuated its positions from villages and towns that have come under Israeli control" in order to ensure the safety of Lebanese soldiers, the source stated, noting that the Israeli army attacks caused casualties among the Lebanese soldiers.

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“There is no presence of the Lebanese army in areas where the occupation is present in southern Lebanon,” the source added.

The Lebanese army’s priority at this stage is to strengthen internal stability, the source noted, stating that the ongoing Israeli escalation preceded the US-hosted military meetings with Israel on Friday.

More casualties

A fresh wave of Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon killed at least three people and wounded 11 others on Saturday morning, according to Lebanon’s state-run news agency.

A drone attack in Al-Marj in the town of Ansar killed a father and his son and wounded seven other members of their family, the National News Agency reported.

A drone attack in Al-Marj in the town of Ansar killed a father and his son and wounded seven other members of their family. PHOTO: ANADOLU

A pickup truck on the Sharifa–Habboush–Nabatieh road was also targeted by an Israeli drone strike, killing one person and seriously injuring another.

The Israeli army also launched drone attacks on the road leading to the Nabih Berri Governmental University Hospital in Nabatieh, wounding three others.

Early Saturday, shortly after midnight, the town of Harouf was also hit by an airstrike carried out by Israeli warplanes, destroying a house in the Al-Thaghra neighbourhood.

The attack coincided with artillery shelling that struck the town and extended to the outskirts of Jibchit and Harouf, the agency reported.

Citing the Lebanese Health Ministry, the outlet also said that Tel Aviv’s Friday strikes across Lebanon’s southern Tyre district killed 11 people, including a paramedic, and injured eight others.

Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and was extended for 45 days beginning May 17 following indirect talks mediated by the US.

According to the ministry, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed over 3,350 people across the country.