Israel and Lebanon military officials hold first talks in decades; US sees support for negotiations

US Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby confirmed on X, 'Today I hosted military delegations from Israel and Lebanon at the Pentagon' for security talks to support ongoing negotiations. He stated, 'We had a constructive military-to-military discussion. This will inform the political consultations led by the State Department next week.' This marks the first meeting between Israeli and Lebanese military officials in decades. Colby said the US expects to convene again soon to continue pushing security negotiations. However, he did not mention the ceasefire agreement originally set for April 17, which has never been fully implemented. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on the 29th that the IDF has penetrated deep into Lebanon and continues intense bombing in the south. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, airstrikes on the southern city of Tyre killed 11 people, including one rescue worker, and injured eight. Hezbollah announced a series of attacks on soldiers and military bases in northern Israel on the same day. Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Joseph Aoun emphasized to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that 'a ceasefire must be fully facilitated' as the primary step for progress. The Pentagon meeting took place while negotiations between the US and Iran are ongoing.