Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
Gideon Saar © Mena Today
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
"We want to achieve peace and normalization with the Lebanese state," Saar declared at a joint press conference alongside his Czech counterpart Petr Macinka in Jerusalem. "There are no major disputes between Israel and Lebanon. The problem is Hezbollah."
The Israeli minister argued that Hezbollah had attacked Israel "against the will of the Lebanese government," framing the militant group as a threat to both Lebanese sovereignty and Israeli security. For Jerusalem, the path to a new chapter is clear: Beirut must disarm Hezbollah before any meaningful progress can be made.
The Washington talks, set to take place under the mediation of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will bring together Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, alongside US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa.
The UAE has suspended all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country from Thursday until further notice, its General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said, citing the US ban targeting Iranian carriers' access to airports worldwide.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan will hold an urgent, high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Houthis, while Saudi's top religious authority told troops to be ready to lay down their lives to fight their Iran-aligned enemy.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a forceful defense of Israel's actions in the region at the UN on Thursday, seeking to counter growing international isolation ahead of elections he could lose, as dozens of delegates streamed out.
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