Lebanon ‘ceasefire’ extended, Israel launches deadly attacks

Al Jazeera

 

By Elis Gjevori and Jillian Kestler-D'Amours

    Israel continues attacks across Lebanon despite the “ceasefire” – killing at least 11 people – with the US State Department saying the truce has been extended by 45 days, and more talks are expected later this month.

    Israel says its military assassinated Hamas’s top military commander in Gaza, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, but there was no confirmation from the Palestinian group.

    Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he doubts the “seriousness” of the United States in peace negotiations and confirms Iran spoke to Russia on its offer to store its highly enriched uranium.

    US President Donald Trump says he’s open to Iran suspending its nuclear programme for 20 years as long as its commitment is “real”.

US aiming to avoid further escalation on Israel-Lebanon border

By Manuel Rapalo

Reporting from Washington, DC

    We knew ahead of this latest round of negotiations that the main diplomatic aim was to prevent the situation along the Israeli-Lebanese border from spiralling back into an open, broader conflict.

    Despite the ceasefire that began in April, there have still been cross-border strikes, there have still been fatalities that have been taking place on an almost daily basis.

    There’s an important note to highlight here, which is that Hezbollah has not been a part of these talks. The group, in fact, has rejected outright any kind of framework that may result from these negotiations.

    So there are still questions over how any sort of agreement that could result from these talks would be enforced.

    Beyond that, there is a mood of optimism, there is a sense from diplomats that a lot was attained. From the perspective of US diplomats, the point of this was to create a space for good-faith negotiations and there will be more space for dialogue to continue later this month and early in June.

Lebanon condemns Israeli air strike killing 3 paramedics

    An Israeli strike directly hit a civil defence centre in Harouf, in the Nabatieh district, killing three paramedics and seriously injuring a fourth.

    The Health Ministry said the attack in southern Lebanon completely destroyed the facility, which was operated by the Health Authority.

    “This crime is further evidence of the brutal approach adopted by the occupying Israeli enemy, disregarding international humanitarian law, and exploiting the silence of the international community to increase crimes against humanity,” the ministry said in a statement.

Hard to see any ‘concrete accomplishments’ from Trump’s China trip

    US journalist Alex Marquardt says he expects Trump to “claim success where the evidence doesn’t really back it up” after his talks with Chinese President Xi.

    “President Trump was there in Beijing standing toe-to-toe with the other most powerful man in the world, which is an environment that Trump obviously enjoys,” Marquardt told Al Jazeera.

    But while the US president claimed progress was made, including in the economic sector, “when you actually look at the statements made by the Chinese and American governments, it’s hard to actually point to any concrete measures”, he added.

    Some Trump administration officials have called on Beijing to use its leverage over Tehran to help break an ongoing deadlock in ceasefire negotiations, though the president downplayed the issue during the trip.

    The White House announced little in the way of concrete progress upon Trump’s departure from China.

‘Ceasefire exists only on paper’ as Israeli strikes hit Gaza

By Hani Mahmoud

Reporting from Gaza, occupied Palestine

    The situation remains chaotic in the Remal neighbourhood following the attack that rocked the entire area. This neighbourhood was heavily targeted and bombed in the early weeks of the genocide, destroying the vast majority of buildings. What remains is far from intact.

    Displaced families have been sheltering with relatives in what is left of these residential buildings. The latest attack involved at least four missiles fired by Israeli warplanes.

    So far, one residential building has been hit with at least three floors heavily damaged. Fire engulfed the remaining parts of the structure while people were still inside.

    At least seven bodies have been recovered at the scene, while dozens of injured have been taken to al-Shifa Hospital. So far, there is no confirmation of who was targeted in the attack.

    It appears the “ceasefire” with Israel only exists on paper, with one side repeatedly violating it since October 2025.

If you’re just joining us

    Let’s get you up to speed on what’s happening:

    Israel says its military assassinated Hamas’s top military commander in Gaza, Izz al-Din al-Haddad. There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian group.

    At least seven people have been killed and dozens wounded in Israel’s bombardment of a residential building and a civilian car west of Gaza City.

    The US State Department says the “ceasefire” between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by 45 days, with more US-brokered talks expected later this month and in early June.

    Israel has continued to attack areas across Lebanon despite last month’s “ceasefire”, killing at least 11 people today, according to local reports.

    Hezbollah says it carried out a series of coordinated attacks on Israeli soldiers across southern Lebanon using drones, rockets, and artillery.

Lebanon condemns Israeli air strike on health centre

    An Israeli strike has destroyed a primary healthcare centre in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.

    “The Israeli enemy directly targeted the primary healthcare centre in the city of Tyre, which led to its being levelled to the ground and caused significant damage to the adjacent Hiram Hospital,” the ministry said.

    The attack wounded at least six members of the hospital’s medical staff, it added.

    The ministry “condemned the Israeli enemy’s continued criminal approach against medical and ambulance crews, and its insistence on systematically attacking the health sector”.

    “This constitutes a clear … and repeated violation of the Geneva Conventions, which guarantee the protection of medical facilities, units, and hospitals.”

Death toll rises to 7 after Israel strike on Gaza Strip

    At least seven people have been killed and dozens wounded during the Israeli bombardment of a residential building and a civilian vehicle west of Gaza City.

    Among the dead were three Palestinian women and a child.

    The information comes from a source in the ambulance service who spoke anonymously to Al Jazeera.

Nearly 200 former top diplomats urge Canada to sanction Israel

    About 200 former Canadian diplomats are urging Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to impose “robust” sanctions on Israel over deteriorating conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory and Lebanon.

    The Canadian Press reported the ex-diplomats sent a letter to media outlets stating “without robust international sanctions the Israeli government will persist in disregarding international law and human rights and will press forward with its plans to expand settlements”.

    The letter was signed by 190 former diplomats who held high-ranking positions, it said.

    “While Canada recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns regarding Hezbollah, the razing of entire towns and the high civilian death toll is a serious violation of international law,” the letter said, referring to the situation in Lebanon.

    The Canadian government has faced years of mounting pressure to take concrete action to do more to pressure Israel to end serious rights abuses against Palestinians, including its genocidal war on Gaza.

Israel-Lebanon ‘ceasefire’ extended by 45 days: US State Department

    State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott says the extension was agreed after two days of “highly-productive” US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon.

    Pigott said the department will reconvene “political track” negotiations on June 2 and 3, while a “security track” will be launched at the Pentagon on May 29 with Israeli and Lebanese military delegations.

    “We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border,” he said.

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