Israel News

Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-backed framework agreement Friday in Washington, a move officials described as a first step toward ending months of conflict along Israel’s northern border and opening the door to a broader peace settlement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will not withdraw from its security zone in southern Lebanon, insisting the Israel Defense Forces will remain in key positions for as long as necessary to protect Israeli citizens from Hezbollah and other jihadist threats.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Wednesday that Israel and Lebanon are discussing a possible scale-back of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon as part of U.S.-mediated negotiations in Washington.

The fifth round of U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon opened Tuesday in Washington, with negotiators focused on a proposed pilot program that would see Israeli forces withdraw from selected areas of southern Lebanon so the Lebanese army can prove it is able to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached an agreement with Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties to advance key Haredi-backed legislation before the Knesset dissolves, clearing the way for a likely national election on October 20.

Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington on Tuesday for three days of talks focused on the disarmament of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the possibility of future normalization between the two neighboring countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday night that the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran has created the conditions for the Islamic Republic’s eventual collapse, declaring that Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, military leadership, missile program, navy, and terror network have been severely degraded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will maintain its security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary, even as U.S.-Iran talks opened in Switzerland and appeared to stall after fresh threats from President Donald Trump.

Israeli strikes killed at least 10 people in Lebanon on Saturday despite a ceasefire that took effect hours earlier, officials said, with Israel claiming it was responding to attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire that was to begin Friday afternoon, Worthy News learned.

The United States imposed new sanctions Thursday on individuals and entities linked to Hezbollah, accusing them of using political and financial influence to obstruct Lebanon’s peace process and delay the Iran-backed group’s disarmament.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon and will maintain a security zone there for as long as Israel’s defense needs require, placing Jerusalem at odds with both Tehran and the terms of a U.S.-Iran memorandum that calls for an end to hostilities in Lebanon.

The Israeli Air Force was prepared to launch a major strike deep inside Iran last week but was ordered to stand down just one hour before takeoff, according to a letter sent by Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tischler to air force personnel.

President Donald Trump’s popularity in Israel has fallen sharply following his administration’s agreement with Iran and a series of unusually blunt criticisms of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a new Kantar Institute survey published by Israel Hayom.

U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Israel’s handling of its campaign against Hezbollah on Tuesday, saying Syria should take a larger role in confronting the Iran-backed terror group if Israel cannot do the job without causing broader destruction.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday night that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, even as President Donald Trump moves forward with a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli leaders across the political spectrum reacted with fury and alarm Monday after President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Iran had reached a peace framework that would impose an immediate ceasefire across multiple fronts, reportedly including Lebanon.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump criticized an Israeli airstrike on Beirut Sunday that overshadowed his 80th birthday and threatened to complicate efforts to finalize a U.S.-Iran framework agreement aimed at ending months of armed conflict across the Middle East.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has fired 70 employees in Gaza with immediate effect, saying the move was necessary “to mitigate safety and security risks” for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA personnel, and agency facilities amid long-running Israeli allegations that Hamas has deeply infiltrated the agency.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it struck more than 70 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past day, as Israel continues its campaign to dismantle the Iranian-backed terror group’s infrastructure along the northern border.