Lebanon, Israel to meet again Thursday for direct talks, US says

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Lebanon, Israel to meet again Thursday for direct talks, US says

Published

2 months ago

April 20, 2026

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US confirms second round of negotiations between the two countries as the Israeli military annihilates Lebanese towns.

The United States will host a second round of talks between Lebanon and Israel on Thursday, the US Department of State has confirmed, as the two countries push on with direct negotiations amid regional tensions.

The talks, which will take place at the State Department, will be the first since a fragile ceasefire came into effect between Hezbollah and Israel last week.

“The United States welcomes the productive engagement that began on April 14,” a State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera. “We will continue to facilitate direct, good-faith discussions between the two governments.”

Lebanese and Israeli officials met last week for the first time in decades, sparking anger from Hezbollah and its allies.

But after the ceasefire came into effect, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reasserted on Friday that Beirut will continue on the path of negotiations with Israel.

“These negotiations are not a weakness. They are not a retreat. They are not a concession,” Aoun said in a televised address.

“They are a decision stemming from the strength in our belief in our rights and care for our people, and our responsibility to protect our country by all means possible.”

Hezbollah has described the talks as part of a series of “losing concessions” that the Lebanese government is making to Israel.

“We reject the negotiations with the occupying Israeli entity. These negotiations are futile. These negotiations require a Lebanese consensus on changing direction,” Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said last week.

“No one has a right to take Lebanon towards that approach without internal consensus among its components, which has not happened.”

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to blow up neighbourhoods in border villages in south Lebanon to create an annihilated area it is calling a “forward defence” line.

Israeli officials have openly said they aim to replicate the destruction of entire towns in Gaza in southern Lebanon.

Aoun has vowed that his government will work towards full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon without sacrificing any part of the country’s territory.

The Lebanese government has pushed to separate Lebanon from the broader negotiations between the US and Israel, arguing that only Beirut can negotiate for itself.

However, Iran has stressed that Lebanon must be included in the broader truce.

On Friday, Trump said he “prohibited” Israel from attacking Lebanon. But Israeli attacks, including the razing of civilian infrastructure in the south, have continued.

Israel said it killed “terrorists” operating in the city of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon on Monday.

For its part, Hezbollah said it detonated an explosive device against a convoy of Israeli military vehicles near the town of Deir Siriane in the eastern sector of the border.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/20/lebanon-israel-to-meet-again-thursday-for-direct-talks-us-says?traffic_source=rss

Related Topics:சர்வதேச செய்திகள்தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு

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Israel continues strikes on Lebanon despite halting attacks on Iran

Published

6 hours ago

June 9, 2026

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Israel continues strikes on Lebanon despite halting attacks on Iran

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged a halt in fighting with Iran, but vowed to respond “with force” to future attacks. Israel says it will continue operations in Lebanon, claiming to focus on Hezbollah targets.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/6/9/aje-onl-nf_israel-continues-strikes-on-lebanon-halts-on-iran-080626?traffic_source=rss

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ICC prosecutor suspended pending vote on sexual misconduct claims

Published

6 hours ago

June 9, 2026

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Karim Khan rejects suspension as ICC governing body refers him to disciplinary proceedings before member states.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been suspended from his duties, the tribunal’s governing body said, following a probe into sexual misconduct allegations.

In a statement on Monday, the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties said it will refer Khan to disciplinary proceedings before all 125 ICC member states, which will vote on his fate in a special session.

“This suspension is not an indication of the final outcome,” it said.

The bureau, which is the executive committee of the court’s oversight body, said it referred Khan after making its own decision on the disciplinary proceedings involving the prosecutor.

It said the decision was based on a report of a United Nations investigation, the advice of an ad hoc panel of judicial experts, and written submissions, but did not give details about what it had decided.

“The decision of the ⁠Bureau and the related documentation will remain confidential,” the statement said.

Khan’s lawyers ⁠said in a statement that he rejected the decision in the strongest terms, and repeated his denial of any wrongdoing.

“The decision is unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence,” the statement said.

Khan, 56, drew international attention when he applied for warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.

He also sought warrants for Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, for the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

Khan was among the first to be sanctioned by Israel’s ally, the United States, which expressed outrage over the arrest warrants.

He has maintained that the misconduct probe is a politically motivated smear campaign.

According to Reuters and the Associated Press news agencies, the UN probe found a “factual basis” for the allegations of sexual misconduct made by a female aide. However, a three-judge panel selected by the executive committee for a legal assessment of the findings found that the investigation was not conclusive enough.

Khan’s lawyers had previously told Reuters that the judges had unanimously concluded that the “factual findings do not establish misconduct or breach of duty”.

Khan has not led the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor since ⁠last May, when he took a voluntary leave of absence pending the outcome of the inquiry.

He is the first ICC prosecutor to be formally suspended from his role by the court’s oversight body.

Only the Assembly of States Parties has the authority to remove Khan from office, a move that would require a majority in a secret ballot of its 125 member states.

Sixty-three countries would need to support a measure to remove him.

No date was immediately set for the session.

Khan’s suspension will have little practical impact on the functioning of the court, given his existing leave of absence.

He has already been removed from pleading in the ICC’s most high-profile current case, against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/9/icc-prosecutor-suspended-pending-vote-on-sexual-misconduct-claims?traffic_source=rss

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UN questions legality of Israeli forced evacuation orders in Lebanon

Published

6 hours ago

June 9, 2026

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UN questions legality of Israeli forced evacuation orders in Lebanon

A UN spokesman says forced evacuation orders issued across southern and eastern Lebanon are nearly impossible to follow safely, and calls into question whether Israel is complying with international humanitarian law.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/6/9/un-questions-legality-of-israeli-forced-evacuation-orders-in-lebanon?traffic_source=rss