Hezbollah rejects direct Lebanon-Israel talks

He outlined five conditions as the only acceptable path forward: ending Israeli attacks by land, sea and air, Israel's withdrawal from occupied territory, the release of prisoners, the return of displaced residents to their towns and villages, and reconstruction. Qassem said that Hezbollah would not abandon its weapons and vowed that Israel would not remain on any occupied Lebanese land, adding that the group would not return to the situation that existed before March 2. On March 2, Hezbollah announced the launch of rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel, marking the first such attack since a ceasefire was declared in November 2024. In response, Israel carried out airstrikes targeting Beirut, its southern suburbs, and other areas. Hezbollah member killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon A member of Hezbollah was killed and three other people were wounded on Monday in a series of Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanese sources. Lebanon's National News Agency said an Israeli drone strike on a town near the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon killed one person, who is a Hezbollah member, while three people were injured in a strike targeting the outskirts of the southern villages of Majdal Selm and Sawaneh. A Lebanese security source and a source in the Civil Defense told Xinhua that Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon targeted the Chaara area, hills surrounding the town of Janta, and the rugged eastern mountain range east of the city of Baalbek. In separate statements, Hezbollah said it struck two Israeli Merkava tanks with drones, a gathering of Israeli military vehicles and soldiers with a guided missile, and an Israeli D9 military bulldozer across southern Lebanon, in response to what it called Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday that the cumulative death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks since March 2 has risen to 2,521, with 7,804 injuries. The developments came despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect at midnight between April 16 and 17, following weeks of intensified cross-border fighting linked to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the current 10-day ceasefire would be extended by three weeks.