Nabih Berri Rejects Direct Talks With Israel, Demands Real Ceasefire Before Washington Meeting

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri rejected any direct negotiation with Israel and said the priority must remain obtaining a real ceasefire in Lebanon ahead of a security meeting in Washington on Friday 29 May.

Berri told Lebanese media that he did not seek to know the contents of the dossier carried by the Lebanese military delegation and said he only demanded "l’arrêt des hostilités."

Al Jazeera

The Libnanews account also said the United States was trying to keep a channel between Beirut and Tel-Aviv while strikes persisted in southern Lebanon and political tensions continued internally.

Libnanews further reported that Berri said the country was in a "trêve de quarante-cinq jours, mais sans cessez-le-feu effectif" and that the war had even intensified with localities destroyed under the eyes of the party meant to guarantee the arrangement.

The same report described Washington’s plan as a security component at the Pentagon on 29 May and a resumption of political discussions on 2 and 3 June, with the Friday meeting focused on military and border questions.

In parallel, U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to dial back fighting after calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and communications with Hezbollah through mediators.

Trump posted that "There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back," and he said Hezbollah had agreed that "all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel."

Al-Jazeera Net

The BBC reported that Israel’s prime minister ordered attacks on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying "terror targets" in Dahieh would be struck in response to rocket and drone attacks and other violations of a ceasefire announced in April.

The BBC also said Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that "if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut," and the Israeli military ordered Dahieh residents to evacuate for their own safety.

The BBC described traffic jams as thousands fled the suburbs, while it also reported that Israeli airstrikes overnight on southern Lebanon left six people dead, including a Syrian citizen near Nabatiyeh, and that an airstrike in Tyre caused heavy damage to the Jabal Amel Hospital.

As the ceasefire framework was discussed, Lebanese officials and U.S. mediation efforts remained central, with the BBC saying a senior Lebanese government official relied on U.S. mediation to pressure Israel to end its violations and prevent further civilian casualties.

“Trump says Lebanon ceasefire intact, Israel won’t deploy in Beirut President Donald Trump said on Monday that he held calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah through representatives, and that both sides had agreed to stop shooting”

Al-Monitor

The BBC also reported that Hezbollah rejected direct talks, counting on pressure from Iran, which insisted that any ceasefire must include Lebanon, and it quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying, "Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts."

Xinhua, citing Axios and Berri’s top adviser Ali Hamdan, said Berri told the Trump administration that Hezbollah was prepared for a full and immediate ceasefire and that he would guarantee its implementation.

Xinhua quoted Hamdan telling Axios: "we are ready to guarantee it," and it said Berri proposed a ceasefire on the ground, in the air and at sea, with Israel also committing to halting the demolition of houses in southern Lebanon.

The BBC framed the stakes as a major obstacle to U.S. efforts to forge a deal to end its war with Iran, while it also reported that at least 3,433 people had been killed in Lebanon since the start of the war, according to the country’s health ministry.