Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement on Tuesday to initiate talks aimed at establishing a clear border between the two nations, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Following a four-party discussion involving representatives from the United States and France at the United Nations peacekeeping force headquarters in Naqoura, both sides confirmed the formation of three specialized working groups.
These teams will concentrate on the five contested areas where Israel maintains a presence within Lebanese territory, the Blue Line that serves as the unofficial boundary, disputed border points, and Lebanese nationals currently in Israeli custody.
Israel also consented to releasing five Lebanese prisoners as a “gesture to the new Lebanese president,” Joseph Aoun, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, which clarified that the move was coordinated with the United States.
Lebanese officials stated that four of these individuals had already been returned, with the fifth scheduled for release on Wednesday, as per a statement from the Lebanese president’s office on X.
Axios, citing two American officials, reported that one of the individuals released by Israel has ties to Hezbollah.
According to Lebanese media, Israel is currently holding a total of 11 Lebanese nationals in detention.
The newly established working groups may convene as early as next month, Axios reported.
In 2022, Israel and Beirut reached a US-brokered agreement defining their maritime boundary, but they have yet to finalize a formal land border.
A truce declared on November 27, 2024, significantly reduced over a year of clashes between Hezbollah and Israel. This included two months of intense conflict, during which Israeli forces entered Lebanese territory. The hostilities were triggered on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in solidarity with Hamas, which had carried out an incursion from Gaza the day prior. Ongoing rocket fire from Lebanon forced approximately 60,000 Israelis to evacuate their homes.
“Everyone involved remains committed to maintaining the ceasefire agreement and to fully implement all its terms,” US Deputy Presidential Special Envoy Morgan Ortagus stated. “We look forward to quickly convening these diplomat-led working groups to resolve outstanding issues, along with our international partners.”
Despite progress on the diplomatic front, hostilities persisted in Lebanon on Tuesday. An Israeli drone strike in the southern region of the country eliminated a Hezbollah member, a military source confirmed.
The attack, which targeted a vehicle in the Nabatieh district, was aimed at a Hezbollah commander within the group’s aerial defense unit, the IDF stated.
The individual was identified as Hassan Abbas Izzedine. Lebanese media outlets released images of the vehicle wreckage between the villages of Deir Zahrani and Humin al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon.
According to the IDF, Izzedine was a “significant source of knowledge” within Hezbollah’s aerial defense unit and was actively engaged in reconstructing its infrastructure, which had suffered extensive damage during the war. He was also working to secure new equipment that could endanger Israeli aircraft, the military added.
In another Israeli Air Force operation in southern Lebanon, a strike targeted a group of Hezbollah members gathered at a facility used by the Iranian-backed group, the IDF reported.
On Friday night, additional airstrikes were conducted in the region, targeting a Hezbollah operative and multiple sites used for weapons storage and rocket launch operations. The IDF justified the strikes by citing an imminent threat to Israel.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the IDF launched an airstrike against individuals in Gaza who were deemed a threat to Israeli forces, according to an official statement.
Gaza’s Hamas-affiliated civil emergency service reported that the attack resulted in four fatalities.
According to the IDF, the drone strike was directed at a group of people near the Netzarim checkpoint, located south of Gaza City.
Military sources stated that the strike was ordered “after terrorists were spotted acting in a suspicious manner on the ground in central Gaza and they posed a threat to troops.”
Reports indicate that the individuals targeted were in the process of planting an explosive device, according to a military source.
Israeli forces remain stationed within a buffer zone along the Gaza border amid uncertainty surrounding the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which officially expired at the start of the month.
The IDF has issued repeated warnings to Palestinians against approaching the area.
Over the weekend, airstrikes were conducted in Gaza, targeting individuals placing an explosive device as well as another group operating a drone.
In recent weeks, multiple attempts to smuggle illicit materials into Gaza have been recorded, with the IDF reporting that suspects on the Israeli side have been using drones to transport weapons and narcotics over the border.
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