Lebanon has formally requested direct talks with Israel, even as fighting intensifies along the border and accusations fly between Beirut and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a statement released Monday by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The call for negotiations, described as seeking “permanent arrangements for security and stability,” came during a virtual meeting with European Union officials, and was accompanied by sharp criticism of Hezbollah’s actions.
Aoun accused Hezbollah of betraying Lebanon and working “for the sake of the calculations of the Iranian regime,” asserting that the group’s actions threatened the stability of the state. He also leveled criticism at Israel, alleging a disregard for “the laws of war, nor for international laws.” According to Aoun, Israeli attacks have displaced over 600,000 people and resulted in more than 400 deaths, including a significant number of women and children.
The developments follow a surge in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, triggered by the broader conflict stemming from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Hezbollah launched six projectiles into northern Israel shortly after the joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran, initiating the current escalation. Israel has responded with intensified strikes, particularly targeting Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut.
More than half a million people in Lebanon have been registered as displaced since fighting resumed on Monday, according to Lebanon’s Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed. The ministry has recorded 517,000 displaced individuals, with 117,228 residing in government shelters. The escalating conflict has resulted in 394 deaths in Lebanon in the past week alone, including 83 children, 42 women, and nine rescue workers, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Israel’s military campaign has expanded to include strikes in the heart of Beirut, including an attack on Sunday that killed at least four people and wounded ten others at a hotel in the Raouche district. Israel claims the strike targeted senior commanders of Iran’s Quds Force. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that Tehran will not allow “one litre of oil” to be exported from the region if attacks continue, prompting a threat from U.S. President Donald Trump to retaliate if the flow of oil is disrupted.
The conflict has also seen international involvement, with British Typhoon jets intercepting drones heading towards Jordan and Bahrain, and Turkish NATO defenses downing a ballistic missile in its airspace. Meanwhile, five female Iranian footballers have been granted humanitarian visas by Australia following an appeal from Trump to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, though protests briefly blocked a bus transporting team members from their hotel, with demonstrators expressing concerns for their safety.
Donald Trump has described the war with Iran as a “short-term excursion” that would end “very soon,” claiming the operation was “very complete, pretty much” and ahead of schedule. Yet, he also indicated the U.S. Mission was not yet accomplished, stating the operation would only end when Iran no longer possessed the capacity to threaten the U.S., Israel, or its allies. Trump declined to comment on whether Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was a target, stating he was “disappointed” with the selection.
Large crowds gathered in Tehran in a show of support for Khamenei, while Israel continues to launch strikes against targets in the Iranian capital, focusing on critical energy and fuel infrastructure. Fresh Iranian missile and drone attacks have also targeted Israel, U.S. Bases across the Middle East, and energy infrastructure in the Gulf.
