This photograph, taken from the village of Zawtar Gharbieh in southern Lebanon, shows Israeli soldiers, supported by a tank, conducting raids among the houses of the neighboring village of Zawtar Sharqieh, on Oct. 17, 2026. (Credit: Ammar Ammar/AFP)
As the political process remains on hold and implementation of the framework agreement continues to stall, Israel is sticking to its positions and threatening to expand its operations, amid fears of a renewed regional escalation.The United States has left Lebanon in a sort of “purgatory.” On Saturday, — the day after a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — , Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced that a Lebanese military delegation would take part in a meeting with Israeli and U.S. representatives in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, to “put Lebanon’s demands for an end to Israeli escalation on the table.”But Washington and Tel Aviv have set a precondition for the talks to resume in earnest and make progress: direct coordination between the Lebanese and Israeli armies. Political negotiations are also off the table for now,...
As the political process remains on hold and implementation of the framework agreement continues to stall, Israel is sticking to its positions and threatening to expand its operations, amid fears of a renewed regional escalation.The United States has left Lebanon in a sort of “purgatory.” On Saturday, — the day after a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — , Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced that a Lebanese military delegation would take part in a meeting with Israeli and U.S. representatives in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, to “put Lebanon’s demands for an end to Israeli escalation on the table.”But Washington and Tel Aviv have set a precondition for the talks to resume in earnest and make progress: direct coordination between the Lebanese and Israeli armies. Political negotiations are also off the...