Israel Says Hezbollah Violated Trump-Backed De-Escalation Pledge as Washington Hosts Lebanon Talks

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Senior members of Israel’s delegation said Tuesday that Hezbollah had not stopped fighting despite pledging to U.S. President Donald Trump a day earlier that it would de-escalate, as Israeli and Lebanese representatives opened a new round of U.S.-brokered talks in Washington.

Delegations from Israel and Lebanon met at the U.S. State Department for the start of a scheduled two-day session aimed at stabilizing the northern front, where Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group have continued trading fire despite American efforts to restore calm.

The talks mark the fourth round held between diplomatic representatives of the two countries, which have no formal relations and have technically remained in a state of war since 1948. The State Department said there had been “progress” following Tuesday’s meeting, though fighting continued on the ground.

Israeli officials said Hezbollah had publicly rejected the formula of halting attacks on northern Israel in exchange for Israel refraining from strikes in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs. The comments came one day after Trump said he had received commitments from both Jerusalem and Hezbollah to reduce hostilities.

A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that the Washington talks were exploring ways to reinforce the fragile ceasefire, possibly through phased arrangements. One proposal reportedly includes creating “pilot zones” where hostilities would stop, Israeli forces would withdraw, and Lebanese soldiers would deploy before any broader ceasefire is implemented across Lebanon.

However, Hezbollah officials signaled they would not accept what they described as a partial ceasefire. Mahmoud Qomati, a senior official in the terror group, told AFP that Hezbollah would not agree to a limited arrangement and warned that any Israeli strike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, the group’s stronghold in the capital’s southern suburbs, could provoke a stronger response.

Youssef al-Zein, head of Hezbollah’s press office, said the group would monitor both the battlefield and diplomatic channels before taking a public position on any proposal. He said Hezbollah would not respond to a ceasefire framework unless there was a formal declaration requiring Israel to halt hostilities across Lebanon.

The latest diplomatic effort follows the collapse of a previous U.S.-brokered truce from April 16, which disintegrated amid increased Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and Israeli communities along the northern border. The escalation had prompted Israeli leaders to threaten renewed strikes on Beirut.

Israel reportedly pulled back from striking Dahiyeh after a phone call Monday between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Tuesday that the United States had pressed Israel to hold off on heavy strikes in Beirut while Washington pursued diplomatic efforts, including ongoing negotiations with Iran.

Katz said Israel’s position remains that there cannot be a situation in which northern Israeli communities are attacked while Hezbollah’s command centers in Beirut remain immune. He said Israel had sought to establish an equation in which Dahiyeh would be treated the same way Hezbollah treats Israel’s northern communities.

While Israel refrained from striking Beirut, it continued operations in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media reported at least four people killed Tuesday in Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire in two towns. The IDF also ordered residents of Nabatieh, a major Hezbollah stronghold, to evacuate ahead of strikes.

The Israeli military said Givati Brigade troops operating north of the Litani River had directed more than 100 airstrikes in recent days, killing approximately 20 Hezbollah operatives and capturing hundreds of weapons found in civilian homes. The IDF said the operations were focused on Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Zawtar al-Gharbiya as part of efforts to remove threats to the Galilee Panhandle and Metula.

Hezbollah also continued attacks. On Tuesday night, the IDF said one reservist was moderately wounded and three soldiers were lightly injured by a Hezbollah explosive drone in southern Lebanon. Earlier, Hezbollah launched two rockets toward the Safed area, both of which were intercepted.

Despite the continued fire, the IDF Home Front Command announced Tuesday evening that it would ease restrictions in several northern communities, allowing schools to reopen where adequate shelter is available. Workplaces may also resume under similar shelter conditions, and gathering limits were expanded to 100 people outdoors and 400 indoors. Beaches were also reopened in some areas.

In the Upper Galilee and northern Golan, including Katzrin and Kidmat Tzvi, restrictions imposed earlier in the week were lifted. The updated guidelines are set to remain in effect until Sunday evening, when the Home Front Command will conduct another assessment.

The easing of restrictions came as the Israeli government held a special meeting on efforts to rehabilitate northern communities battered by years of Hezbollah attacks. The meeting drew criticism after Hebrew media reported that only a small number of ministers attended at first, that it was not held in northern Israel, and that northern mayors and residents were not invited.

The broader diplomatic picture remains complicated by Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington wants to treat the Israel-Lebanon talks separately from negotiations with Tehran, but accused Iran of trying to “mix it all together” so it can later claim credit for any arrangement reached through Hezbollah’s pressure.

Rubio said the United States remains committed to “demilitarizing and defanging Hezbollah” while strengthening Lebanon’s legitimate government.

Israel and the United States both want Hezbollah disarmed, an objective also formally shared by the Lebanese government but rejected by the terror group, which remains armed, entrenched in southern Lebanon, and backed by Iran.

Since the latest round of fighting began on March 2, the IDF says Hezbollah has fired roughly 5,500 rockets at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and about 2,500 rockets at Israel, along with around 300 drones. Israel says more than 2,500 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since early March, including members of the group’s elite Radwan Force.

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