Any prolonged Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon could breathe new life into Hezbollah, a group that was founded to liberate Lebanon from Israeli occupation and has portrayed itself as the only force capable of protecting Lebanon’s borders,

In addition to the extension, the governments of Lebanon, Israel, and the United States have agreed to initiate negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023. This marks a significant step toward addressing longstanding disputes and advancing dialogue on humanitarian issues.

The White House said that a ceasefire involving Israel and Lebanon had been extended in a Sunday statement. The ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, announced by former President Biden in November,

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon, but Israel says that Hezbollah hasn’t upheld its promise and that the Lebanese Army isn’t ready to fill the void.

Israel is considering sending Soviet and Russian-made weapons captured in Lebanon to Ukraine, with signs transfers may be under way.

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel began Jan. 19 after Hamas supplied a list of the hostages slated for return to Israel.

The Israeli government says its military will not withdraw from Lebanon by Sunday’s deadline, in violation of a deadline set in a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

Israel let tens of thousands of Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas​, under terms of a fragile ceasefire​.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that Israel might not withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon by a deadline set in its ceasefire with Hezbollah.

President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip is being met with a hard “no” from the two U.S. allies.