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Israel, Hezbollah Negotiate Hochstein Proposals amid Escalating Violence

US mediator Amos Hochstein (Reuters)
US mediator Amos Hochstein (Reuters)
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Israel, Hezbollah Negotiate Hochstein Proposals amid Escalating Violence

US mediator Amos Hochstein (Reuters)
US mediator Amos Hochstein (Reuters)

With Israel pushing to include Lebanon in the Doha negotiations and US mediator Amos Hochstein proposing a new ceasefire plan, Israel and Hezbollah have escalated their cross-border shelling.
Experts in Tel Aviv say both sides are using firepower as leverage. Israel is pressuring Hezbollah by displacing Lebanese villages and destroying homes, while Hezbollah ambushes Israeli forces and targets settlements.
Escalating strikes continued Monday amid reports that US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators believe a Lebanon deal is unlikely without a prisoner swap to end the Gaza conflict.
An Israeli security official told Haaretz that Hezbollah, following the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, is trying to show it remains strong and influential in Lebanon.
Hezbollah insists on linking the Gaza and Lebanon fronts and rejects Israel’s push to amend UN Security Council Resolution 1701, stalling negotiations.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel has set the following conditions for negotiations on the Lebanese front:
Full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which requires Hezbollah to implement a complete ceasefire, withdraw its forces beyond the Litani River, and allow the Lebanese army to deploy in southern Lebanon. Following these steps, Israel would retreat to the international border.
Implementation of Resolution 1559, which demands the disarmament of Hezbollah and its dismantling as an independent militia within 24 months, led by the Lebanese army and supported by international enforcement.
Creating a new UN Security Council resolution that imposes sanctions on any country providing arms to Hezbollah, specifically naming Iran, Syria, and Russia.
Adding a clause that allows Israel complete military freedom to enforce these resolutions if Hezbollah’s power in Lebanon increases or if there are ceasefire violations.
Israelis say Hochstein, set to arrive in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, agrees on adding enforcement mechanisms to the UN Security Council resolution but is seeking to ease Israel’s conditions.
He aims to create a new negotiation framework to finalize the border between Israel and Lebanon and resolve disputes over 12 border points.
Israel believes that by applying military pressure on Hezbollah and its support network, as well as Lebanon overall, it can impose its terms and create significant shifts in the relationship between the two countries. This escalation is occurring despite the rising costs of Israel's operations in Lebanon.
Strategic expert Amatzia Baram states that Israel aims to shift the balance of power in Lebanon and reduce Iranian influence in the region, which could unite various factions within Lebanon and beyond.
He emphasizes that Israel should establish a new reality in Lebanon through a political settlement, using its military power as leverage.
Unlike past agreements that primarily affected Israel, this time, two key conditions must be met: a meaningful enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance with the agreements and the legitimacy of proactive military action by Israel if the accords are violated.

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Arab World

Iraq Parliament Fills Cabinet Posts, Naming a US-Sanctioned Deputy Prime Minister

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a parliamentary session to approve the remaining members of his cabinet, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 15, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a parliamentary session to approve the remaining members of his cabinet, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 15, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
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Iraq Parliament Fills Cabinet Posts, Naming a US-Sanctioned Deputy Prime Minister

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a parliamentary session to approve the remaining members of his cabinet, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 15, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a parliamentary session to approve the remaining members of his cabinet, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 15, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office/Handout via Reuters)

Iraq's parliament voted Thursday to appoint ministers to previously vacant Cabinet posts and complete the country's government, including a deputy prime minister who is under US sanctions.

Laith al-Khazali, appointed to that post, is the brother of Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq armed faction. Laith al-Khazali was arrested by US forces in 2007 over allegations related to an attack targeting American forces in Karbala in January of that year, which resulted in the deaths of five US soldiers.

He was released from US custody in June 2009. In 2019, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him, citing his leadership role in Asaib Ahl al-Haq and allegations involving human rights abuses as well as the 2007 attack.

His appointment to a senior government position raises questions about its potential implications for relations between Baghdad and Washington. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi was backed by US President Donald Trump when he took the post and has strong relations with Washington, but he has also sought to maintain relations with Iran.

Past Iraqi governments have also sought to balance relations with Washington and Tehran, but the balancing act has become more difficult since the US and Iran went to war on Feb. 28.

There was no immediate official statement from the US on the appointment.

Republican US Rep. Joe Wilson wrote on X that al Khazali “is a designated terrorist and Iranian puppet whose militia AAH killed Americans and Iraqis.”

“He is no better than ISIS, maybe even worse,” Wilson said. "It is outrageous but sadly not shocking that he has been appointed deputy PM of Iraq.”

The parliament also appointed two other deputy prime ministers, as well as a new interior minister, defense minister, planning minister, minister of higher education and scientific research, and culture minister.

The other Cabinet posts had been appointed five months earlier.

Al-Zaidi said in a statement that with the vacant posts filled, “we are embarking on a phase of accelerated, diligent work” and pledged to "move forward in implementing our government’s priorities and program, and in fulfilling the aspirations of all Iraqis.”

He said the government had worked over the past several months amid complicated domestic and international circumstances, noting that the war in the region had imposed exceptional economic challenges on Iraq, in addition to security challenges.

Al-Zaidi has vowed to fight corruption and strengthen Iraq's sovereignty, both by completing the withdrawal of US forces from the country and by disarming non-state armed groups.

Some of the most powerful factions have said they have no intention of giving up their weapons, although Asaib Ahl al-Haq is one of a handful that have agreed to hand over their arms.

Arab World

Houthis Launch Attack on Presidential Palace in Yemen’s Aden

A boat motors under Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace, at top, in Aden, Yemen, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP)
A boat motors under Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace, at top, in Aden, Yemen, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Houthis Launch Attack on Presidential Palace in Yemen’s Aden

A boat motors under Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace, at top, in Aden, Yemen, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP)
A boat motors under Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace, at top, in Aden, Yemen, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP)

At least six explosions struck Thursday near the palace used by Yemen's legitimate government in the port city of Aden, witnesses said. An official said at least two people were killed, and Iran-backed Houthi militants based in northern Yemen quickly claimed responsibility.

It was a rare attack on the palace area, as fighting has escalated between the militia and a Saudi-led coalition in the latest front in the Iran war. The explosions caused panic among residents, who fled the area.

Yemen's Ministry of Information confirmed the safety of Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zindani and ministers, saying they no longer hold permanent meetings inside the palace in anticipation of such attacks.

At least two people were killed and six wounded, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The government said the Houthis attacked with missiles and drones, the Aden-based SABA news agency reported.

A security official said at least two explosions were on top of the hill near the Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace, and two others were near the security gate.

Many of Yemen's government leaders are living in exile, and those in Aden were safe, a government official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. A video circulating on social media and analyzed by The Associated Press shows smoke rising from the area where the palace is located.

Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi contacted ministers in wake of the attack.

Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi contacted ministers in wake of the attack. (SABA)

He asserted that the Houthi attack on the palace is an extension of the militias' approach of targeting airports, oil facilities, and civilian objects in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, threatening regional security and waterways.

He stressed that the state will continue to carry out its constitutional responsibilities with utmost firmness, and that protecting its sovereign facilities and citizens is a non-negotiable responsibility.

He ordered the relevant military and security authorities to take the necessary measures to protect state institutions, counter terrorist threats, and respond appropriately to sources of threat in a manner that ensures the protection of civilians and civilian objects.

In turn, the cabinet affirmed that the attack on the Al-Maashiq Palace reveals the terrorist approach of the Houthis and their persistence in targeting civilians.

It stressed that it will not deter the government from performing its responsibilities and duties toward citizens, and continuing the battle to restore the state and its institutions and end the coup being pursued by the Dawn of Yemen Operation.

The attack on the palace is part of an escalating pattern of Houthi terrorism that has not been limited to targeting state institutions, but has extended to attacks on civilian objects and vital facilities in Saudi Arabia, and the shelling of residential neighborhoods in the governorates of Taiz and Lahj.

"The future of Yemen will not be held hostage by a militia that bears arms against its people, targets the security of its neighbors, and relies on violence to compensate for the Yemeni rejection of its coup project,” it added.

The cabinet called on the international community and the United Nations to take a clear and firm stance regarding these attacks, to stop treating them as isolated incidents separate from their context, to exert the necessary pressure to halt the targeting of civilians and civilian facilities, and to hold those responsible for the violations accountable.

Smoke billows from the presidential palace complex following an attack by Yemen's Houthis, according to government officials, in Aden, Yemen, October 15, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. (Social media/via Reuters)

Elsewhere in Yemen, the fighting has revived a devastating civil war after four years of relative calm. One focus of alarm is the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz.

Residents of Yemen’s third-largest city are running short of basic necessities. Where goods can be found, prices have soared. Gas stations sit empty or out of service. The World Food Program said it can no longer reach more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on aid.

At a news conference late Thursday in Taiz, the Health Ministry said 120 people were killed and 307 wounded in the fighting through Oct. 5, with most of the deaths reported in Taiz, Saada and Jawf areas.

Fathiyya Mohamed al-Mugahed said she had gone looking for flour, cooking gas and fuel but found none.

“The Houthis have surrounded us from all sides,” she said. “Projectiles are all we have received from them.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Taiz has seen some of the “highest casualty burdens” in the country.

Arab World

Netanyahu Rival Vows to End Hamas Rule within 18 Months if Elected

People walk past a banner featuring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) of the Likud party and country's former chief of the general staff and leader of the Yashar centrist political party Gadi Eisenkot in Ramat Gan on October 15, 2026. (AFP)
People walk past a banner featuring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) of the Likud party and country's former chief of the general staff and leader of the Yashar centrist political party Gadi Eisenkot in Ramat Gan on October 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Netanyahu Rival Vows to End Hamas Rule within 18 Months if Elected

People walk past a banner featuring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) of the Likud party and country's former chief of the general staff and leader of the Yashar centrist political party Gadi Eisenkot in Ramat Gan on October 15, 2026. (AFP)
People walk past a banner featuring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) of the Likud party and country's former chief of the general staff and leader of the Yashar centrist political party Gadi Eisenkot in Ramat Gan on October 15, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in upcoming elections, vowed Thursday to end Hamas rule in Gaza if he wins office following the October 27 vote.

"Today I give a public commitment: from the moment I enter the Prime Minister's Office, within 18 months Hamas will no longer rule the Gaza Strip," the leader of the center-right Yashar party said at a press conference near the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

He said he would achieve this either by implementing US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan, which provides for the gradual disarmament of Hamas and a transfer of power, or through "creative operations" by Israel's military aimed at destroying the Palestinian movement's military wing.

Hamas announced in July that it was disbanding its governing body to facilitate the transfer of Gaza's administration to a nascent technocratic Palestinian committee called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).

The NCAG, currently based in Cairo, was created following the declaration of a ceasefire last October and is overseen by Trump's Board of Peace.

Later in July, Hamas announced it had agreed to a deal involving the handing over of its weapons to the NCAG.

But Israel has been skeptical, with Netanyahu demanding verifiable decommissioning of all weapons before any withdrawal of the military takes place.

Hamas has not gone ahead with disarmament, Israel has refused to reciprocate by starting to withdraw forces, and the NCAG is not operating inside the territory.

Israeli forces were allowed to stay in 53 percent of Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire, but a year later they control about 70 percent, according to official accounts.

- 'Strategic failure' -

Eisenkot's campaign pledge on Thursday is one of the strongest yet from the 66-year-old former military chief.

The close-fought election will be the first since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people.

In response to the attack, Israel launched a massive offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 74,300 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas and whose figures are generally considered reliable by the United Nations.

Eisenkot on Thursday accused Netanyahu of a "strategic failure" in Gaza, where he said "Hamas is still the sovereign... armed, arming itself, and militarily active" after three years of war.

He also reiterated a pledge to establish a state commission of inquiry to identify those responsible for any security lapses leading up to October 7, a push the government has so far resisted.

"There is a way to prevent the next disaster," he said.

Eisenkot, like other opposition politicians, regularly accuses Netanyahu of bearing personal responsibility for the October 7 attack, notably by ignoring warnings from his security services, according to media reports.

Netanyahu has categorically rejected the accusations and maintains that security officials did not wake him on the morning of the attack.

Current polls show that neither Netanyahu's bloc nor that led by Eisenkot is in a position to win the 61 seats needed to control the 120-seat parliament and form a governing coalition.