Lebanon Seeks to Extend Israel-Hezbollah Cease-Fire

Beirut’s Precarious Position

The United States hosted a second round of ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Thursday aimed at ending Israel’s war with Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy group. The main objective of this week’s dialogue, mediated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was to extend the two sides’ 10-day cease-fire, which was established during initial negotiations in Washington last Tuesday and is set to expire on Sunday.

Beirut’s delegation entered Thursday’s meeting with two goals: to extend the truce deal and get Israel to halt its demolitions in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. However, he said the broader conversations are aimed at launching negotiations that would see a permanent end to the war, the Israeli military’s withdrawal from occupied territory, the return of Lebanese detainees in Israel, and the delineation of the two countries’ ​land border.

“Lebanon can no longer endure wars fought on its soil on behalf of others, nor can Hezbollah continue to sell the illusion of victory,” Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi wrote on X on Thursday. “There is no shame in negotiating with Israel if the goal is to end the war, recover territory, and secure a lasting peace.”

Yet experts suspect that little progress toward a more comprehensive deal will come from Thursday’s talks, largely because Hezbollah remains opposed to negotiations with Israel. Lebanon does not control the proxy group, and Hezbollah representatives were not present at last week’s meeting or this week’s.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah urged Beirut on Thursday to cancel all forms of direct contact with Israel, adding that the group would only support a cease-fire “on the basis of full compliance by the Israeli enemy.” Full compliance, Fadlallah said, means that Israel’s military must “halt assassinations, completely cease fire, … halt the destruction of villages,” and withdraw from the country.

Meanwhile, Israel—represented in the talks by its ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter—continues to seek Hezbollah’s complete dismantlement, which the group refuses to do. Israel has declared a buffer zone that extends around 3 to 6 miles into southern Lebanon, arguing that it is necessary to help shield northern Israel from Hezbollah’s attacks.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces have continued to trade sporadic fire in the lead-up to Thursday’s talks despite the 10-day cease-fire. On Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and wounded photojournalist Zeinab Faraj in the town of Tayri. According to the Lebanese Red Cross, its teams also came under attack when they tried to evacuate the journalists, forcing the rescuers to withdraw.

These strikes were a “blatant double breach, involving both the obstruction of rescue efforts for a civilian known for her media and humanitarian work, and the direct targeting of an ambulance clearly marked with the Red Cross,” Lebanon’s health ministry said. Israeli officials said the incident is under review, while Hezbollah said it carried out four operations in southern Lebanon in response on Wednesday.

The following day, an Israeli strike near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh killed at least three people, and another attack on Yater village wounded two others, including a child. Also on Thursday, Hezbollah claimed three separate attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

Nearly 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on March 2. Israel and the United States have denied any link between the conflict in Lebanon and ongoing Pakistan-led diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war—even as Tehran and Islamabad have called for Lebanon to be included in the U.S.-Iran cease-fire.

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What We’re Following

Cracking down on the Channel. The British government signed a three-year agreement with France on Thursday that focuses on curbing the number of asylum-seekers crossing the English Channel. Under the security deal, London agreed to pay Paris up to $892 million to crack down on unauthorized crossings, though almost a quarter of this funding will only be given if France’s new tactics prove successful. If they are ineffective, then Britain has vowed to stop the funding after one year. London did not specify what targets would need to be met for Paris to keep the funding.

Around 41,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025, almost exceeding the record set in 2022. In 2023, Britain and France signed a three-year agreement worth around $640 million, but that deal expired on March 31.

“This new agreement empowers our security forces to continue their crucial work in combating perilous Channel crossings and strengthening the safety of coastal residents,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Thursday, with British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood adding that the deal will help authorities go after human-smuggling operations.

Thursday’s framework includes funding for a 50-strong riot squad to “contain and disperse” people trying to board small vessels as well as 1,100 new enforcement, intelligence, and military officers. However, rights activists have condemned the new measures, particularly the riot squad, as “heavy-handed tactics” that could further hurt individuals fleeing state violence.

Renewed ICE funding. The U.S. Senate voted 50-48 on Thursday in favor of adopting a budget framework that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as Border Patrol. Both agencies fall under the Department of Homeland Security, which has been partially shut down since mid-February after Democrats insisted on sweeping policy changes following the lethal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by immigration enforcement officers. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote.

The Trump administration and fellow Republicans argue that ICE and Border Patrol are vital to ensuring the security of U.S. borders. However, Democrats have demanded that any funding package include stipulations requiring better identification for federal agents, greater use of judicial warrants, and other restraints to protect civilians’ rights and safety.

Such deadlock forced the Senate to pass legislation last month that returned limited funding to Homeland Security but excluded the department’s two immigration enforcement agencies. On Thursday, Democrats proposed several amendments to the current budget bill that would see some ICE and Border Patrol funding be instead used to lower out-of-pocket health care costs.

Zambia’s funeral arrangements. A long-running dispute over where to bury late Zambian President Edgar Lungu reached new heights on Wednesday, after a Zambian court ruled that his body should be returned to his family just hours after the government took custody of it.

Lungu, who ruled Zambia for nearly seven years, died in June 2025 at age 68 while seeking specialized treatment for an undisclosed illness in South Africa. Nearly a year later, his remains are still unburied. Current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has demanded that Lungu receive a state funeral and be buried at a specially designated cemetery for Zambia’s leaders. However, Lungu’s family claims that one of the former president’s final wishes was for Hichilema not to preside over Lungu’s funeral or go anywhere near his body.

Hichilema and Lungu were fierce political rivals. Lungu had Hichilema charged with treason in 2017, though the charge was eventually dropped due to international condemnation. And Hichilema ultimately defeated Lungu in the country’s 2021 presidential election, though Lungu argued at the time that Hichilema had placed him under house arrest to prevent him from winning.

Following Lungu’s death, Hichilema’s government obtained a court order to stop Lungu’s funeral service as it was taking place. Since then, government authorities and Lungu’s family have battled over the right to determine his final resting place. As of Thursday, the whereabouts of Lungu’s remains were unclear.

Odds and Ends

Several traditional Romanian treasures returned home on Tuesday after the heirlooms were stolen from a Dutch museum more than a year ago. In January 2025, thieves pinched a 2,500-year-old golden helmet and three gold bracelets from the Netherlands’ Drents Museum—sparking a massive hunt for the nicked objects. But after 14 months of investigation, most of the artifacts have been found and sent to Bucharest’s National History Museum, where they will be displayed beside masked, armed guards. The location of one gold bracelet remains unknown, but authorities have vowed to continue the search.