Overview
- Delegations opened a third round of talks Thursday in Washington, two days before the April 17 cease-fire is set to expire on May 17.
- The U.S. mediation team includes the American ambassadors to Israel and Lebanon, Mike Huckabee and Michel Issa, with Simon Karam representing Lebanon and Yechiel Leiter representing Israel.
- Israeli forces expanded strikes Wednesday across southern Lebanon after ordering evacuations in several villages, and the Health Ministry in Beirut reported at least 22 people killed.
- Hezbollah claimed new cross-border attacks that included an explosive drone, and Israel said the drone wounded several civilians in the north.
- Lebanon reports about 2,800 deaths since March, including more than 400 during the truce, and UN peacekeepers warned that increasing drone use near their positions is heightening risks.