Israeli escalation ahead of third round of talks with Lebanon next week
A Lebanese official source revealed on Wednesday that a third round of talks will be held between Beirut and Tel Aviv next week.
The source explained in a statement to Anadolu Agency that the new round of talks will be held at the headquarters of the US State Department in Washington, D.C., pointing out that the date of the tour has not yet been precisely determined, and it is not yet known whether the level of representation of the two sides will remain at the level of ambassadors or whether other officials will join them, according to him.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, during a meeting with journalists in the capital Beirut, said that Lebanon "does not seek normalization with Israel but rather to achieve peace," adding that "this is not the first time that Lebanon has engaged in direct negotiations with Israel."
He pointed out that "the stabilization of the ceasefire will form the basis for any new round of negotiations that may be held in Washington," noting that "our minimum demands is a timetable for Israel's withdrawal, and we will develop a plan to limit weapons to the state."
Israel bombs Beirut again
On Wednesday evening, May 6, 2026, Israel announced the targeting of the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan force in Beirut, in the first attack on the Lebanese capital in about a month, while Israeli violations of the truce continue daily in the south.
The announcement came in a joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, minutes after the Lebanese News Agency reported an explosion in the vicinity of Beirut's southern suburbs.
The statement said that "the Israeli army launched an attack targeting the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan force in Beirut with the aim of eliminating him."
The statement claimed that the fighters of the Radwan force "were responsible for bombing Israeli settlements and harming IDF soldiers," and continued: "There is no immunity for any terrorist, as Israel's long arm will affect every enemy," the statement read.
"We have promised to restore security to the residents of the north," they concluded, referring to settlers in areas bordering Lebanon.
The Israeli statement did not mention the results of the attack or the name of the commander of the Radwan force, nor did there be an immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Lebanese authorities on the matter, but Israeli media, including the private Channel 14 and Channel 15, reported that the raid targeted "the commander of the Radwan force Malik Ballout and his deputy."
The Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation quoted an Israeli source as saying that "the assassination operation in the southern suburb of Beirut was coordinated with the United States."
In turn, the Lebanese News Agency reported that the Israeli army's targeting of the southern suburb of Beirut specifically affected the Ghubeiri area, adding that the attack was launched by an Israeli barge from the sea and targeted a residential apartment with 3 missiles.
18 killed in 63 Israeli attacks, Hezbollah responds
The Israeli army launched 63 attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing 18 people and wounding others, as part of a continuous aggression since March 2, in return, Hezbollah responded to Israeli targets in southern Lebanon, which it said targeted gatherings of soldiers, military vehicles and bulldozers.
Hezbollah announced in a statement on Wednesday (May 6th) that it had carried out 16 military operations with drones and artillery shells targeting Israeli army gatherings, vehicles and positions in southern Lebanon, in response to ceasefire violations.
In its statement, the Lebanese party said that its operations came "in defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the Israeli enemy's violation of the ceasefire and the attacks on villages in southern Lebanon, which resulted in the death of martyrs and wounded civilians."
He explained that his fighters targeted 5 gatherings of IDF soldiers in the town of Al-Bayada, which witnessed 3 attacks, in addition to the towns of Naqoura and Rafaf, using drones, artillery shells, and rockets, adding that he targeted 4 Israeli military vehicles with drones in the towns of Deir Syrian, Hula, Al-Quzah and Taybeh.
The statement said that "modern technical equipment" was targeted with bombs dropped by a drone in al-Bayada, what it called a "new command center" of the Israeli army was bombed with a march in the town of Qantara, and two D9 bulldozers of the Israeli army were destroyed in the towns of Hula and the Khiam detention center, in southern Lebanon.
It was not possible to independently verify the possibility of greater human or material losses in the ranks of the IDF, which is obfuscating the results of Hezbollah's response.
Fragile truce
On April 17 , US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah, saying that Tel Aviv would no longer attack Lebanon, and later announced the extension of the truce for another three weeks, and the Lebanese and Israeli sides held two rounds of talks in Washington on April 14 and 23, in preparation for peace negotiations.
Israel continues to violate the truce on an almost daily basis, justifying it as "the right to take the necessary measures to defend oneself against threats."
The ceasefire agreement includes a clause to be used by Israel to justify its attacks, which states that it reserves its "right to take all necessary measures for self-defence at any time, against planned, imminent or ongoing attacks, and this right shall not be restricted by the cessation of hostilities."