Hezbollah condemns talks, Lebanon fires back<\/p>\n
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Tuesday slammed the talks and said that the direct negotiations would bring Lebanon \u201cnothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t In a televised address, he also criticized Lebanon\u2019s President Joseph Aoun, saying he \u201chas not acted as an arbiter, nor as a unifying figure, but has become biased and divisive, which is incompatible with his role and with Lebanon\u2019s strength.\u201d<\/p>\n Hours later, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam fired back, saying Hezbollah had dragged the country into war.<\/p>\n Without mentioning the Iran-backed terror group by name, Salam wrote on X that \u201cthe greatest support for Israel was provided by the one who distinguished himself by dragging Lebanon into futile war adventures, giving it pretexts to commit aggressions against our country, trample its sovereignty, destroy its cities and villages, kill its sons, and displace them by the hundreds of thousands.\u201d<\/p>\n \t He said that the ones who \u201ctie Lebanon to external calculations and axes\u2026 have no right to hand out certificates in patriotism, let alone in sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n Salam called for \u201ca state with one army that extends its authority over all its territories solely by its own forces.\u201d<\/p>\n Pilot zones take center stage<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s aim in this round of talks with Lebanon was to \u201ccontinue the positive momentum by establishing working groups on six issues,\u201d an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n The working groups would be tasked with addressing maritime and land borders; evaluating the pilot zones where the Lebanese army has replaced the IDF; disarming Hezbollah; stopping the flow of Iranian money into Lebanon; and stepping up reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Salam told a cabinet meeting on Monday that Lebanon was pursuing \u201cefforts towards successive Israeli withdrawals from Lebanese territory, leading to a full withdrawal.\u201d<\/p>\n \t A US State Department official had told AFP that this week\u2019s discussions would \u201cinclude expanding the pilot zone process, resolving all outstanding border issues, and working on a comprehensive peace and security agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n On Monday, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa warned that \u201cmoving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is better to take the time needed to get this right the first time. Doing so will allow subsequent pilot zones to move forward more efficiently,\u201d Issa said.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth sides must agree on a clear, workable process before proceeding.\u201d<\/p>\n The IDF withdrew from the first pilot zone last month, handing control<\/a> of the southern Lebanese town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh to the Lebanese army.<\/p>\n The Lebanese army\u2019s deployment is a major test, with experts expressing doubt over the authorities\u2019 ability to disarm Hezbollah \u2014 which opposes the Israel deal and refuses to surrender its weapons \u2014 and prevent further non-state military activity.<\/p>\n \t Shortly before Tuesday\u2019s talks began, the Lebanese army released photos of weapons it intercepted along the Syrian border. The relatively rare publication of operations against weapons destined for Hezbollah was likely meant to show that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are taking their disarming mission seriously, thereby increasing pressure on Israel to continue withdrawing from pilot zones in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n The LAF said that it seized 122mm Grad rockets that had been smuggled from Syria, as well as the pickup used by the two smugglers.<\/p>\n \u201cSearch and raid operations were also carried out against the remaining members of the network, resulting in the seizure of war munitions and military equipment,\u201d the LAF said.<\/p>\n \u0628\u062a\u0627\u0631\u064a\u062e \u0664 \/ \u0668 \/ \u0662\u0660\u0662\u0666\u060c \u0646\u062a\u064a\u062c\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0627\u0628\u0639\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0645\u0646\u064a\u0629 \u0644\u0639\u0645\u0644\u064a\u0627\u062a \u0627\u0644\u062a\u0647\u0631\u064a\u0628 \u0639\u0628\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u062d\u062f\u0648\u062f \u0627\u0644\u0634\u0645\u0627\u0644\u064a\u0629 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0642\u064a\u0629\u060c \u0636\u0628\u0637\u062a \u0648\u062d\u062f\u0629 \u0645\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u062c\u064a\u0634 \u0641\u064a \u062c\u0631\u062f \u0639\u0631\u0633\u0627\u0644 \u0635\u0648\u0627\u0631\u064a\u062e \u063a\u0631\u0627\u062f \u0661\u0662\u0662 \u0645\u0644\u0645 \u062c\u0631\u0649 \u062a\u0647\u0631\u064a\u0628\u0647\u0627 \u0645\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0631\u0627\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0629 \u0625\u0644\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0631\u0627\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0628\u0646\u0627\u0646\u064a\u0629\u060c \u0625\u0636\u0627\u0641\u0629 \u0625\u0644\u0649 \u0622\u0644\u064a\u0629 \u0628\u064a\u0643 \u0623\u0628 \u0643\u0627\u0646\u062a \u062a\u064f\u0633\u062a\u062e\u062f\u0645 \u0644\u0646\u0642\u0644\u0647\u0627\u060c \u0648\u0623\u0648\u0642\u0641\u062a \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0648\u0627\u0637\u0646\u064e\u064a\u0646 (\u0639.\u062d.) \u0648(\u0645.\u0648.)\u060c \u0648\u0647\u064f\u0645\u0627\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/lmWrM9R4h4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \u0627\u0644\u062c\u064a\u0634 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0628\u0646\u0627\u0646\u064a (@LebarmyOfficial) August 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Observers say Israel\u2019s commitment to withdraw will also be tested when pilot zones are selected in areas fully under its occupation.\n<\/p>\n Violence in Lebanon has decreased since the Lebanon-Israel deal and the signing in June of a preliminary US-Iran agreement on the Middle East conflict.<\/p>\n But Lebanon continues to report intermittent Israeli strikes and shelling, as well as detonations and demolitions in southern villages.<\/p>\n Israel says it has hit Hezbollah forces that endangered troops and continues to destroy Hezbollah fortifications, bunkers and tunnel complexes in areas under IDF control.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tIDF soldiers are seen at a memorial site on the border with Lebanon in northern Israel, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ohad Zwigenberg)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26111637611945-e1776955761481-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tLebanon\u2019s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks at a joint declaration press event with France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, April 21, 2026. (Ludovic Marin\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26209437825000-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tSmoke rises following an explosion in southern Lebanon, as seen from the nearby village of Zawtar al-Gharbieh July 28, 2026. (AP\/Hassan Ammar)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26207496444906-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA Lebanese soldier stands in front of a destroyed house after deploying in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ahmad Mantash)<\/p>\n
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