Overview
- U.S. officials reaffirmed support for a face‑to‑face Aoun–Netanyahu meeting to speed a security deal, even as talks remain limited to ambassador level in Washington.
- President Joseph Aoun said Monday he will not meet Benjamin Netanyahu until Israeli attacks cease and a security agreement is in place, setting conditions that stall a summit.
- The U.S.-mediated truce that began April 17 and was extended for three weeks has not halted clashes, with Hezbollah claiming fresh attacks and Israel striking and ordering new evacuations in the south.
- Satellite analyses and field reporting show widespread demolitions across at least two dozen southern towns as Israel pursues a buffer zone, a tactic former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert called ineffective against longer‑range missiles.
- Lebanese politics remain split as Speaker Nabih Berri rejects talks before the war stops and the army makes rare arrests in Hezbollah‑dominated suburbs, undercutting a unified mandate for any high‑level deal.