Israeli Strike Kills Lebanese Forces Ahead of Peace Talks
By John doe
At least 13 members of Lebanon's State Security forces were killed in an Israeli strike on a government building in the southern city of Nabatieh on Friday, as attacks intensified between Israel and Hezbollah ahead of scheduled peace talks in Washington.
The talks are set to begin Tuesday in Washington and will be mediated by U.S. diplomats, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office said in a statement. The statement reiterated Beirut's position that the talks be held under a ceasefire or truce.
Contradicting Positions on Ceasefire
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter later issued a statement describing next Tuesday's talks as "formal peace negotiations," but said a ceasefire was not on the agenda, in a stark contradiction to Aoun's remarks.
"Israel refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to attack Israel and is the main obstacle to peace between the two countries," the statement read.
A Lebanese official familiar with the developments said that a halt in the fighting is a critical condition for the country to engage in direct talks with Israel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Escalating Violence
Hezbollah claimed an attack targeting a naval base in the Israeli port city of Ashdod, approximately 145 kilometers (90 miles) from the border. The group also claimed 31 other attacks on northern Israel and on Israeli ground troops that have invaded southern Lebanon.
Israel launched its latest aerial campaign and ground invasion of southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets toward northern Israel in solidarity with Iran on March 2.
At least 1,953 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Health Ministry. At least 303 were killed in a rapid series of 100 strikes that hit the country in 10 minutes on Wednesday, marking the bloodiest day in the latest war between the two sides.
Hospital Under Threat
Officials at Beirut's main government-run hospital fear it could be in the line of fire after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for the surrounding suburbs. The World Health Organization has called for the Rafik Hariri University Hospital to be spared from attacks.
"The entire zone around the hospital was threatened and deemed dangerous," said Dr. Mohammad Cheaito, who heads the emergency department. "But at the end of the day, we have a humanitarian duty."
Hezbollah Supporters Protest Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that the talks would revolve around disarming Hezbollah and establishing "peaceful relations" between the two countries.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Kassem called on the Lebanese government to "stop giving free concessions" to Israel. Dozens of supporters of the Iran-backed group protested outside the Lebanese prime minister's office in central Beirut.
"Our blood has been spilled on this land, and our state is conspiring against us," said protester Hassan Shuaib. "Our state wants to kill us; our state wants to strip us of our weapons."
