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US Casts Israel-Lebanon Talks on Thursday as ‘Positive and Productive’

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern village of Al-Halloussiyah on May 13, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern village of Al-Halloussiyah on May 13, 2026. (AFP)
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US Casts Israel-Lebanon Talks on Thursday as ‘Positive and Productive’

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern village of Al-Halloussiyah on May 13, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern village of Al-Halloussiyah on May 13, 2026. (AFP)

The United States cast Israel-Lebanon talks held in Washington on Thursday as "productive and positive" and a State Department official said more discussions aimed at ending their conflict will continue on Friday.

A senior Lebanese official said earlier that Lebanon will demand that US ally Israel cease fire in the face-to-face talks, as Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah continued to trade blows despite a US-backed truce declared last month.

An Israeli government spokesperson said the talks were taking place with the goal of disarming Hezbollah and reaching a peace agreement.

A State Department official said a meeting of Lebanese and Israeli envoys, along with US officials, started at about 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) and ended eight hours later.

The US official said there was a "full day of productive and positive talks" on Thursday that will continue on Friday.

The talks are the sides' third meeting since Israel intensified air attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on March 2, three days into the US-Israeli ‌war on Iran. ‌Israel had widened its ground invasion into Lebanon's south last month. Beirut is attending despite strong ‌objections ⁠from Hezbollah.

Fought ⁠in parallel to the US-Iran conflict, Israel's war in Lebanon has rumbled on since US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire on April 16, though hostilities have largely been contained to southern Lebanon since then.

The fragile ceasefire is due to expire on Sunday.

With Lebanon's health ministry reporting 22 people killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday, including eight children, the senior Lebanese official said the Lebanese delegation would seek "a ceasefire that Israel implements".

The Israeli military said an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah fell within Israeli territory near the border and injured several Israeli civilians. Israel has kept troops in a self-declared security zone in south Lebanon, saying this aims to shield northern Israel from attack by Hezbollah, which ⁠fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel during the war.

The Israeli military said it ‌carried out a new wave of attacks on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon on ‌Thursday.

Hezbollah said it carried out 17 attacks on Israeli troops in the south on Wednesday.

LEBANON, ISRAEL BROADEN DELEGATIONS

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's decision to ‌pursue the talks reflects deep divisions in Lebanon over Hezbollah, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982. The Beirut government has sought ‌its disarmament since last year.

When the April 16 ceasefire was announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah's disarmament would be a fundamental demand in peace talks with Lebanon.

The Washington meetings mark the highest-level contact between Lebanon and Israel in decades.

Both Lebanon and Israel are broadening their delegations for this round, after the sides were represented by their ambassadors to Washington in the previous two meetings.

Lebanese Presidential Special Envoy Simon Karam and ‌Israel's Deputy National Security Adviser Yossi Draznin were participants in the talks, as well as senior Israeli military representatives, a State Department official said.

The US-led mediation between Lebanon and Israel has emerged ⁠in parallel to diplomacy aimed at ⁠ending the US-Iran conflict. Iran has said that ending Israel's war in Lebanon is one of its demands for a deal over the wider conflict.

Trump hosted the last meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to Washington at the Oval Office, saying at the time he looked forward to hosting Netanyahu and Aoun in the near future, and that he saw "a great chance" the countries would reach a peace deal this year.

Aoun later said the timing was not right for a meeting with Netanyahu, and that Lebanon must first secure "a security agreement and a halt to the Israeli attacks, before we raise the issue of a meeting between us".

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in a May 10 interview with the pan-Arab broadcaster Al Arabiya, said Lebanon's principles in negotiations were shoring up the ceasefire, securing a timetable for Israeli withdrawal, and winning the release of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel.

The Lebanese health ministry says Israeli attacks have killed 2,896 people in Lebanon since March 2, including 589 women, children and medics.

Some 1.2 million people have been driven from their homes in Lebanon, many of them fleeing from the south.

Israel says 17 of its soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon, along with two civilians in northern Israel.

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Arab World

Iraq PM Vows Monopoly on Arms as Parliament Approves Government

Iraqi lawmakers attend the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)
Iraqi lawmakers attend the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)
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Iraq PM Vows Monopoly on Arms as Parliament Approves Government

Iraqi lawmakers attend the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)
Iraqi lawmakers attend the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)

Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government on Thursday led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons amid growing US pressure to dismantle Tehran-backed groups.

Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighboring Iran and the United States.

Iraq's parliament voted in favor of Zaidi's government and program, just a few weeks after he was designated following months of political deadlock.

Zaidi's program includes "reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces", state news agency INA quoted the parliament media office as saying.

In Iraq, a government wins a confidence vote when parliament approves half plus one of its ministries.

Only 14 ministerial nominations out of 23 posts were approved on Thursday, as key political parties continue to negotiate several portfolios.

Zaidi, Iraq's youngest prime minister at the age of 40, was chosen to form the new government late last month.

His nomination followed months of political wrangling after the United States vetoed the previous frontrunner, former premier Nouri al-Maliki.

He is backed by the Coordination Framework, a ruling alliance of Shiite groups with varying ties to Iran.

Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, front left, arrives at the Iraqi parliament to attend the voting of his government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP)

- Divisions? -

Senior US diplomat Tom Barrack meanwhile said his government was ready to work with Zaidi "to advance our shared goals of prosperity for the Iraqi people and the elimination of terrorism, which is always an impediment to the people's progress".

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi congratulated Iraq's new government following the approval from parliament.

"Strengthening the friendly and brotherly relations between Tehran and Baghdad has always been at the top of the priorities of our foreign policy," he wrote on X.

The US has recently piled pressure on Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups, which it designates as terrorist organizations.

After the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, those groups intervened in support of Tehran and hit US facilities in Iraq more than 600 times before a ceasefire was announced, according to a US official.

Washington also struck their positions and bases, killing dozens of fighters.

Iraqi lawmakers attend the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)

- Challenges -

Recently, several powerful Iraqi politicians have also called for a state monopoly on weapons, revealing divisions over the sensitive issue.

While some armed groups showed readiness to cooperate, others remain adamant that the issue should not be discussed under US pressure.

Hussein Mounes, the head of a parliamentary bloc close to the Kataib Hezbollah group, criticized the "clear and direct American interference in shaping the political scene".

He told journalists that the question of the state's monopoly on arms cannot be achieved through "pressure".

The new premier faces other daunting tasks.

His government will also need to repair Iraq's relations with Gulf countries, which have protested attacks by Tehran-backed groups on their territory during the war.

His program has also set economic reforms as a main priority, with an emphasis on diversification and investment, in a country where almost the entire economy relies on oil.

Iraq has lost significant income due to the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, given that oil exports make up about 90 percent of the country's budget revenues.

Arab World

Israel Refuses to Withdraw from Lebanon before ‘Disabling’ Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers man a checkpoint in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese army soldiers man a checkpoint in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Israel Refuses to Withdraw from Lebanon before ‘Disabling’ Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers man a checkpoint in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese army soldiers man a checkpoint in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Israel refused to withdraw from Lebanese territories it occupied during its recent war with Hezbollah before eliminating the military capabilities of the Iran-backed group and securing its northern borders.

Israel’s position came during the third round of direct negotiations with Lebanon held in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and hosted by the US State Department represented by senior adviser Mike Needham and the US ambassadors to Lebanon, Michel Issa, and to Israel, Mike Huckabee.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not participate because he was accompanying President Donald Trump in China.

The Lebanese delegation is led by Presidential Special Envoy Simon Karam accompanied by Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad, deputy ambassador Wissam Boutros, and military attaché in Washington, Brig. Gen. Oliver Hakmeh.

The participants from Israel included Deputy National Security Adviser Yossi Draznin, National Security Council Deputy Director for Foreign Policy Uri Resnick, and ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter.

Ceasefire extension

Negotiators in Washington discussed extending the current Israel-Lebanon ceasefire beyond next Sunday’s deadline.

Lebanese officials emphasized the need for full compliance by both Israel and Hezbollah, while Israel argued its military actions are necessary to counter threats from the Iran-backed group.

US mediators continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense under the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and are expected to decide soon on extending the truce.

The Israeli ambassador

Leiter said in remarks to the press from the Israeli embassy in Washington that Israel’s presence in Lebanon is tied to the continued existence of Hezbollah. He said the party is heavily armed with intent on attacking Israeli communities with rockets. He stressed that Israel would no longer allow such threats.

He explained that the current focus is on reaching a peace treaty as if “there were no Hezbollah” and fighting the group as if there were no peace treaty. “I believe we will achieve both”, he stated

Lebanese silence

Leiter said ahead of the latest negotiations that no diplomatic progress or peace agreement with Lebanon would be possible unless Hezbollah is dismantled militarily. He added that a shared interest in freeing Lebanon from Hezbollah would ultimately prevail.

The Israeli ambassador said that Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but it also has no immediate plan to withdraw from its territories. He expressed cautious optimism about peace prospects, claiming shifting Lebanese public opinion ,including among Shiites, against Hezbollah.

However, he acknowledged that achieving progress would be difficult due to decades of entrenched dynamics and Lebanese hesitation despite alleged shared interest in reducing Hezbollah’s influence.

 

Arab World

Yemen Govt Agrees Largest Prisoner Exchange with Houthis

Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, poses for a photo as members of the Supervisory Committee on the Detainees Release Agreement attend the closing ceremony of a meeting between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthis, in Amman, Jordan, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, poses for a photo as members of the Supervisory Committee on the Detainees Release Agreement attend the closing ceremony of a meeting between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthis, in Amman, Jordan, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)
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Yemen Govt Agrees Largest Prisoner Exchange with Houthis

Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, poses for a photo as members of the Supervisory Committee on the Detainees Release Agreement attend the closing ceremony of a meeting between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthis, in Amman, Jordan, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, poses for a photo as members of the Supervisory Committee on the Detainees Release Agreement attend the closing ceremony of a meeting between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthis, in Amman, Jordan, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)

Yemen's legitimate government and the Iran-backed Houthi militants agreed Thursday to free more than 1,600 detainees in the largest swap during Yemen's 11-year war.

The deal was signed in Amman, Jordan, after 14 weeks of negotiations observed by UN officials and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The swap built on previous understandings that started from Muscat in late 2025 and included indirect negotiations rounds in Riyadh, before culminating in an agreement in Jordan.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the deal and called on the parties to move swiftly toward implementing it so families could soon be reunited, a UN spokesperson said.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said the deal covered the largest release of “conflict-related detainees.” An ICRC in a statement said both sides agreed on the identities of the detainees to be released, and added that the Geneva-based organization is ready to facilitate their repatriation.

The head of the government delegation, Yahya Kazman, said in a post on X that a “number of politicians and media professionals" held by the Houthis will also be released. He did not give details.

It was not immediately clear when the release would start.

Guterres also called on the government and the Houthis to build on the positive momentum generated by the deal and to engage constructively toward an inclusive political process for a just and lasting peace in Yemen, Guterres’ deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

“The Secretary-General further urges the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained personnel from the United Nations, NGOs, civil society and diplomatic missions,” Haq said.

Sustained diplomacy

“These negotiations have been extraordinarily complex,” Grundberg told reporters. “They required persistence, flexibility, and willingness by all sides.”

He said the agreement demonstrated that sustained diplomacy could still produce results despite years of conflict and mistrust.

“This outcome is a clear demonstration of what sustained and determined negotiations can produce,” he added. “It proves that when the parties choose to engage in dialogue, they can deliver on the priorities that weigh most heavily on Yemeni families and build confidence for the wider peace process.”

Grundberg also renewed calls for the release of UN personnel and others arbitrarily detained in Yemen.

“I hope that today’s momentum can help advance the release of UN and other colleagues who remain in arbitrary detention,” he said.

Some 1,100 of the almost 1,700 detainees are Houthi-affiliated, while seven Saudis and 20 Sudanese are among the 580 detainees that will be released by the other side.

'Major breakthrough'

The government delegation said the deal calls for the release of 1,750 detainees, including 27 members of the Arab Coalition forces. It said the development was a “real changing point in this complex humanitarian file.”

A government statement said the negotiations faced major hurdles and complications but a “national and humanitarian approach” ensured their success.

It hailed the role played by Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the ICRC in the file.

The swap agreement includes mutual prisoner and detention center visits after the exchange is complete in what was seen as an efforts to build trust between the two the government and Houthis.

In Houthi-held Sanaa, head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat welcomed the agreement, saying the militants have offered “all facilitations” to ensure its success, reported Houthi media.

He claimed that the prisoner file had always been a top priority for the Houthis, vowing to pursue the release of remaining detainees by all possible means.

Observers said the swap was a new test for the Yemeni parties to translate humanitarian understandings into tangible steps on the ground, given the failure of previous swaps due to various differences.

International mediators are hoping the implementation of the latest swap will generate a positive conditions that would push forward the stalled political process.