3 soldiers hurt in clash with Hezbollah gunmen, drone attack

Lebanon’s Hezbollah-allied parliament speaker: No talks with Israel until war ends

US envoy to Beirut says meeting between Lebanon’s President Aoun and Netanyahu would not be a ‘loss or concession’ for Beirut, but rather an opportunity to ensure Lebanese sovereignty

Lebanon’s parliament speaker, the most senior Shiite politician in the country and a close ally of Hezbollah, said on Monday there could be no negotiations with Israel without a halt to the war that has raged on in southern Lebanon in spite of a ceasefire.

Nabih Berri, who heads the Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement, made his comments as the Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation warnings for four villages in southern Lebanon ahead of strikes targeting the Iran-backed terror group. Israel says it is acting in response to Hezbollah threats and violations of the truce.

Meanwhile, two soldiers were moderately wounded during an exchange of fire with Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon, one soldier was lightly injured in a drone attack, and the IDF said it shot down at least one Hezbollah drone.

The continued clashes underlined challenges facing US efforts to forge peace between the enemy states, which held rare face-to-face talks last month.

Despite the ceasefire reached between Israel and Lebanon in mid-April, which has since been extended into May, Hezbollah has fired rockets and drones at northern Israeli communities, though most attacks have been on troops in southern Lebanon or on the Israeli side of the border.

Berri told Lebanon’s An-Nahar newspaper the priority must be “stopping the war before any political track,” and that he rejected any negotiations without guarantees Israel would halt attacks, according to a summary of his comments released by his office.

A day earlier, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said that the terror group would be able to “thwart” the talks between Beirut and Jerusalem, and that “any new agreement that will be established in Lebanon must guarantee that our country will not be attacked in any way.”

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has also sharply rejected the talks, calling them a “sin.”

Two soldiers wounded in clash with Hezbollah gunmen; one hurt in drone attack

An exchange of fire in southern Lebanon took place at around 11 a.m., when troops of the Golani Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit encountered several Hezbollah gunmen who fired at them.

The soldiers returned fire, and the Israeli Air Force also struck Hezbollah sites in the area, including buildings used by the terror group and anti-tank guided missile launch posts. The military said it was continuing to operate in the area to locate and eliminate the operatives.

Two soldiers were moderately wounded in the incident. They were airlifted to a hospital, and their families were notified, the army said.

In another incident, a soldier was lightly injured in a Hezbollah explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon.

According to the IDF, Hezbollah launched several explosive drones at troops stationed in southern Lebanon, along with several rockets. The rocket attacks did not cause any injuries, the military said.

The wounded soldier was taken to a hospital, and his family was notified.

Earlier in the morning, an interceptor missile was launched toward an apparent Hezbollah drone identified over an area of southern Lebanon where troops are deployed, the military said.

Sirens had sounded in the border community of Misgav Am amid the incident, though the IDF said the “suspicious aerial target” did not cross the border. The results of the interception were under review, the military said.

In another incident, the IDF said an apparent Hezbollah drone was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over southern Lebanon.

Also on Monday, IDF troops raided a Hezbollah rocket-launching site in southern Lebanon, capturing a cache of weapons in the process.

The military said troops of the Givati Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit located dozens of rockets and other weapons at the site, including assault rifles, RPGs, and other equipment.

The troops also located primed rocket launchers in the area, which the IDF said were aimed at troops stationed in southern Lebanon and at Israel.

US envoy says Aoun-Netanyahu meeting would not be ‘concession’

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said on Monday that a meeting between Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be a “loss or concession” for Lebanon.

“Is Netanyahu some kind of bogeyman? He is just another negotiating party,” he told reporters, according to Lebanese media.

With Lebanese leaders at odds over the prospect of talks, the US embassy has been pushing hard to convince Aoun to accept a meeting with Netanyahu in Washington, arguing that it could restore government sovereignty to the entire country.

Issa argued that a trip by Aoun to the White House would give him the opportunity to present Lebanon’s demands, especially that “every inch of Lebanon remains and returns to Lebanon.”

Lebanon’s government wants a permanent deal with Israel that would end a repeated cycle of Israeli invasions and strikes, while stopping short of saying it wants a peace agreement. Israel says any deal must permanently disarm Hezbollah.

US President Donald Trump, who hosted delegations from the two countries for last month’s ceasefire talks, said there was “a great chance” they would reach a peace agreement this year and that he wants to host a meeting soon between Netanyahu and Aoun.

Hezbollah and Berri have objected to the face-to-face meetings.

Aoun has said he backs ambassador-level talks with Israel with the aim of establishing a ceasefire, followed by expanded talks on Lebanon’s other demands, including a full Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced people and the release of captives held by Israel.

The latest round of fighting erupted in Lebanon when Hezbollah began attacking across the border after Israel and the US launched their joint campaign against Iran on February 28.

Israel launched massive airstrikes in Lebanon in response to the terror group’s rocket barrages, and launched an operation in southern Lebanon to establish a buffer zone to protect residents of Israel’s north.

Over 2,500 people have been killed and about a million displaced in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities. The IDF says it has killed over 1,900 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force.

Seventeen IDF soldiers and one Defense Ministry civilian contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon amid fighting against Hezbollah. Two civilians were also killed by Hezbollah rockets, and an Israeli civilian was mistakenly killed in the north by Israeli artillery shelling.