According to a joint statement released on Wednesday, Israel and Lebanon agreed to “implement a ceasefire,” conditioned on the “complete cessation” of Hezbollah shelling and the removal of all Hezbollah operatives from southern Lebanon.
However, the status of negotiations between the US and Iran remains unclear.
Here are the latest updates for the region:
Mixed messages over U.S.-Iran talks: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that talks with Iran were progressing “very well,” but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there had been no “remarkable progress” in recent days. Ceasefire ‘must include Lebanon’: Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said the US-Israel war on Iran will only end “when it also ends in Lebanon”. Aragushi also said Israeli forces must withdraw from Lebanon, where they have been targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah since early March. Israel downplays division: Israel’s ambassador to the US, Ekiel Reiter, downplayed the division between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that “If Hezbollah intends to disrupt the ceasefire, the consequences will be imposed on them.” Congressional rebuke: The House of Representatives passed a resolution Wednesday limiting President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran, a major rebuke to the president and his handling of the conflict.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Helen Regan, Camila DeCharles, Sarah Ferris, Elise Kim, Eileen Greif, Michael Williams, Mustafa Qadri, Eyad Kurdi, Kunal Sehgal, Aida Karimi, Tim Lister, Sarah Tamimi, Mostafa Salem and Katherine Nichols contributed to this report.
