Security forces stand guard as first responders intervene on a vehicle targeted by an Israeli drone strike at the entrance to the southern city of Saida on May 13, 2026. (Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
The gap remains wide in the U.S.-Iran negotiations. It is just as wide between Israeli demands and Lebanese conditions.In both cases, Israel is trying to convince Washington to resume the war against Iran and expand its military campaign into Lebanon.Despite the attention surrounding the talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv — officially set to begin Thursday in Washington — and the focus on their immediate outcome, the real issue lies in what comes next, particularly in terms of concrete developments on the ground.To keep the negotiations going, Lebanon is insisting on a cease-fire — or at the very least a de-escalation — along with an Israeli commitment not to launch military operations before the reactivation of the monitoring "Mechanism" and a return to the status-quo that existed before March 2. Read more Salam: Israel now...
The gap remains wide in the U.S.-Iran negotiations. It is just as wide between Israeli demands and Lebanese conditions.In both cases, Israel is trying to convince Washington to resume the war against Iran and expand its military campaign into Lebanon.Despite the attention surrounding the talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv — officially set to begin Thursday in Washington — and the focus on their immediate outcome, the real issue lies in what comes next, particularly in terms of concrete developments on the ground.To keep the negotiations going, Lebanon is insisting on a cease-fire — or at the very least a de-escalation — along with an Israeli commitment not to launch military operations before the reactivation of the monitoring "Mechanism" and a return to the status-quo that existed before March 2. Read more Salam:...
Qaani: Minimum requirement for Lebanon is a return to pre-war lines