Israel, Lebanon extend ceasefire; strikes kill six

Israel and Lebanon agreed on May 15 to extend their ceasefire by 45 days after two days of U.S.-facilitated talks in Washington, the State Department said. The extension keeps in place a truce first announced on April 16 by President Donald Trump and was presented by U.S. officials as a way to create time for further negotiations. Hours later, Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon again, underscoring how limited the arrangement remains on the ground. Lebanese officials and local media said one of the strikes killed six people, including three paramedics, at a civil defense center in Harouf. ### What exactly did Washington announce? Tommy Pigott, the State Department spokesperson, said the “April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress” after what he called “highly productive” talks in Washington. He said the two sides also agreed to continue discussions in the coming weeks. The May 14-15 meetings brought together Lebanese and Israeli delegations for a third round of U.S.-mediated contacts since the April ceasefire took effect. Reuters reported that the talks were the highest-level contact between Lebanon and Israel in decades and had expanded to include security and military officials. (usnews.com) ### If the truce was extended, why were there new strikes? France 24, citing AFP, reported that Israel launched new air strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on May 16, hours after the extension was announced. AFP also reported that the ceasefire had not ended Israeli strikes in Lebanese territory since it began in April. (usnews.com) Al-Monitor, also citing AFP, reported that Lebanon’s state news agency said strikes hit more than two dozen villages on May 16, including one more than 50 kilometers from the border. The report said residents fled toward Sidon and Beirut as bombardment continued. ### Who was killed in Harouf? Harouf, in Lebanon’s Nabatieh district, was hit by a strike on a civil defense center that killed six people and wounded 22, according to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA as reported by Reuters. (france24.com) Reuters said three of the dead were paramedics. (al-monitor.com) Al Arabiya, citing Lebanon’s health ministry, reported that three paramedics killed in a separate account of the Harouf strike were members of the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Committee. Other reports described the site as a health center or civil defense facility in the town. ### What are Israel and Lebanon each saying about the arrangement? (gmanetwork.com) Lebanon’s delegation said it wanted to turn the ceasefire into a lasting peace agreement, according to Reuters. The Lebanese side has prioritized a halt in hostilities, even as Hezbollah has objected to the negotiations. (english.alarabiya.net) Israel has said Hezbollah must be disarmed as part of any broader agreement with Lebanon, Reuters reported. AFP reports carried by France 24 and Al-Monitor said Israel has continued to argue that some of its military operations against Hezbollah are not covered by the truce. ### How has the United Nations responded? (usnews.com) Antonio Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, welcomed the 45-day extension in a note to correspondents issued on May 16. The statement said he supported diplomatic efforts to end hostilities and urged all actors to respect the cessation of hostilities and international law. (usnews.com) UNIFIL remains deployed along the Blue Line, the U.N.-drawn boundary between Lebanon and Israel, under its longstanding mandate to support stability in southern Lebanon. The secretary-general’s statement linked the latest diplomacy to fuller implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. ### What happens next in the talks? Pigott said a new security track would open at the Pentagon on May 29. (un.org) He said the State Department would then convene the two sides again on June 2 and June 3 for a political track. The next test of the extension will come before those meetings begin. (unifil.unmissions.org) The ceasefire was due to expire on Sunday before the 45-day rollover, and fighting in southern Lebanon continued through the first day of the extension. (usnews.com)