LIVE War in the Middle East: Lebanon and Israel meet again…

Discussions between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday over the soon-to-expire ceasefire were described as “productive and positive” by a senior US official. The discussions brought together the different parties throughout the day.

“We had a full day of productive and positive discussions that lasted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” said the US State Department official. The negotiations are to continue on Friday for a second day, with Washington hoping to be able to communicate more elements at the end of the discussions.

Hezbollah claimed Thursday to have carried out a drone attack against a gathering of Israeli soldiers in northern Israel, near the Lebanese border, according to a statement from the terrorist movement.

This statement comes as Israeli and Lebanese officials resumed discussions in Washington on Thursday, a few days before the expiration of the current ceasefire. Earlier in the day, the Israeli army announced that a drone attack attributed to Hezbollah had left several civilians injured in the north of the country.

The new Iraqi Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, affirmed Thursday that he wanted to guarantee the arms monopoly to the State, according to the official INA agency. His government program, validated by Parliament, provides for a reform of the security forces and a strengthening of the country’s security capacities.

This orientation is part of a context of growing pressure from the United States on Iraq. Washington has been calling for several months for the disarmament of the pro-Iranian militias present in the country, which it considers to be terrorist organizations.

Donald Trump said Thursday that Xi Jinping assured him that Beijing would not send military equipment to Iran and was ready to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“He said he would not provide military equipment… He stated it forcefully,†the American president said, according to an excerpt from an interview with Fox News after his meeting with the Chinese leader in Beijing. The American president also declared that his Chinese counterpart wanted to “see the Strait of Hormuz open”. “He said, ‘If I can be of any help, I’d be happy to help.'”

If Hezbollah reiterated its rejection of negotiations on Thursday, Israeli and Lebanese representatives resumed their discussions in Washington, a few days before the expiration of a ceasefire, on May 17, which did not prevent Israel from continuing its strikes. Since its entry into force on April 17, more than 400 people have died in Israeli strikes, according to an AFP count based on official figures.

Israel has reserved the right to continue targeting Hezbollah, the Shiite movement which dragged Lebanon into the regional war following the launch of the Israeli-American offensive against Iran on February 28.

In its own indirect dealings with Washington, Iran demands that any truce also extends to Lebanon – that is, that Israel stops hitting Hezbollah. In Washington, Lebanon is seeking “a consolidation of the ceasefire,” a senior official who requested anonymity told AFP. “The priority is to stop the death and destruction.”

“Several ships” Chinese have been authorized to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday, according to the Iranian Tasnim agency.

Iran’s Fars news agency also reported similar reports, while Iranian state television announced that “more than 30 ships” had been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, without specifying whether these were exclusively of Chinese ships.

Iran’s Foreign Minister on Thursday accused the United Arab Emirates of playing an “active” role alongside the United States and Israel in the war against Iran. “The United Arab Emirates is an active partner in aggression (against Iran), there is no doubt about it,” Abbas Araghchi said at the Brics summit in India. “It is now clear that they participated in these attacks, perhaps even that they acted directly against us.”

He also referred to the meeting, described as “secret” by Israel, between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the President of the Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and which Abu Dhabi denies was held.

While Israel announced strikes in southern Lebanon this Thursday, the army also reported several civilians injured after a Hezbollah drone attack. The attack took place in northern Israel, a few hours before the resumption of talks in Washington between representatives of Israel and Lebanon.

“An explosive drone launched by the terrorist organization Hezbollah fell on Israeli territory, near the Israeli-Lebanese border,” the army said. “Several Israeli civilians were injured and evacuated to hospital for treatment.”

American President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping expressed Thursday during their summit in Beijing their convergence of views on the fact that the Strait of Hormuz should “remain open”, indicated the White House. “Both sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to ensure the free flow of energy products,” the White House said.

According to the White House, Xi has expressed interest in purchasing more US oil to reduce his dependence on imports passing through the Strait of Hormuz. China did not mention such interest in its own account of the discussions.

The White House described the meeting as “good”, without mentioning the subject of Taiwan in a report of the talks.

A ship was boarded by unidentified individuals off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, near the Strait of Hormuz, and is currently heading towards Iranian territorial waters, the British maritime security agency announced on Thursday.

The ship was “boarded by unauthorized personnel while at anchor,” 38 nautical miles (about 70 kilometers) northeast of Fujairah, and “is now heading towards Iranian territorial waters,” according to a message posted on account X of the UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations).

The Israeli army intensified its strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least 22 people according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, despite the truce in progress since April 17.

These strikes, on more than 30 separate locations according to the national information agency (ANI), come as Lebanon and Israel, which do not maintain diplomatic relations, are due to begin this Thursday in Washington a new session of talks under the aegis of the United States, despite opposition from the pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah.

Iran organized a farewell ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday for its national football team, whose participation in a month’s time in the 2026 World Cup organized in the United States, Canada and Mexico, remains surrounded by uncertainties.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Iran had “the right to retaliate” after Kuwait’s arrest of four Iranians in early May.

Kuwait announced Tuesday that four people arrested in early May while trying to enter the country by sea had “confessed” to belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, accusations denied by Iran.

Hello everyone. Like every day, the editorial staff of 20 Minutes is mobilized to give you all the information on the situation in the Middle East.

Between the United States and Iran, if the truce is still respected, an agreement for lasting peace still seems far away. The ceasefire, on the other hand, is more than illusory in Lebanon. Particularly deadly strikes continue there between Israel and Hezbollah.