Israel, Lebanon ready for Pentagon talks after heavy attacks

A new poll finds that Israelis are overwhelmingly supportive of using increased military means against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

A May 2026 survey by the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) found that 58% of Israelis think the country should “deepen” its fight against Iran-backed Islamic militias. When it comes to Israeli Jews this number increases to 69.5%.

The survey also found that the same number of Israelis (57%) believe the Israeli military should establish a buffer zone in the south of Lebanon, where Israeli forces would be permanently deployed to protect Israeli cities near the border from Hezbollah drone and missile fire.

Nearly half of Israelis (48%) think the security situation with Lebanon has worsened, with only 28% arguing that it has gotten better.

The Israeli government, a right-wing coalition that includes ministers from far-right parties, is facing increasing pressure domestically to deal with ongoing Hezbollah drone attacks, resulting in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising to increase attacks in Lebanon.

Israeli and Lebanese military officials are scheduled to meet for security talks at the Pentagon in Washington DC later Friday.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has criticized the United Nations’ blacklisting of Israeli entities over sexual violence in conflict zones, calling the decision “shameful and absurd.”

“Today’s decision should be understood in its true context: an attempt to create a false symmetry between real sexual atrocities committed by Israel and Hamas,” the ministry wrote on its X account.

The country’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, described the decision as “outrageous” and accused UN chief Antonio Guterres of “running a campaign against Israel.”

“We are done with this secretary general. We will no longer cooperate with him or his representatives,” Danon said in a video in Hebrew.

The blacklist also includes Hamas – which is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU and other governments including Israel – which was added after the attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel aims to tighten its grip on the Gaza Strip.

“We are now at 60% of the Gaza Strip. You know what? We were at 50%, we came to 60%,” he said Thursday at the Jordan Valley Conference held in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu said Israel would move to control 70% of the enclave to put more pressure on the Palestinian group Hamas.

“The most important thing is that we continue to take advantage of our power, to increase it,” Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the largely destroyed Gaza Strip “will be implemented.”

“It will all happen at the right time and in the right way,” Katz posted on his X account.

Human rights organizations have warned that such a move could lead to ethnic cleansing.

Israeli and Lebanese military officials are set to hold security talks at the Pentagon on Friday amid escalating cross-border violence and stepped up Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

The talks, brokered by the United States, will be the first direct security discussions between the two sides since the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began. A fourth round of US-brokered comprehensive talks are expected to take place early next week.

On the eve of the meeting at the Pentagon, Israeli airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut and the southern city of Tyre, killing at least 14 people, according to Lebanese officials.

Israel’s military said on Thursday it had struck more than 135 Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon, including rocket launch sites and military infrastructure in Tyre.

Israeli government spokesman David Menser said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the military to “deepen our operations in Lebanon” while continuing talks aimed at disarming Hezbollah and securing a peace deal.

Netanyahu earlier this week vowed to “crush” the Iran-backed terrorist group.

Hezbollah has condemned the talks and accused the Lebanese leadership of holding talks “at the cost of the blood of its own people”.

Hezbollah said Beirut lacked the ability to force an Israeli withdrawal or end the war.

The US military said no US aircraft were downed near the Iranian city of Bushehr.

“No US aircraft were shot down. All US air assets have been accounted for,” US Central Command said in a post on Twitter.

Early Friday, Iran’s state media claimed to have shot down a “hostile aircraft” over the southern province of Bushehr.

The United States and Iran have made good progress toward a ceasefire extension agreement, but President Donald Trump is not yet ready to ratify it, US Vice President J.D. Vance said on Thursday.

Hours after US sources said Washington and Tehran had agreed to a deal, Vance told reporters that Washington “has not yet agreed” on a deal with Iran. However, Vance said the parties were close and the US was in a position to significantly push back on Tehran’s nuclear program.

According to Vance, there were some significant issues in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran regarding its enriched uranium reserves and the question of further enrichment.

Vance said, “It is difficult to say when and whether the President will sign the MOU. We are going back and forth on some language points.”

“I can’t guarantee we’ll get there, but right now I feel pretty good about it. We’ve made a lot of progress here,” he said.

“Hopefully, we’ll continue to make progress and the president will be in a position where he can support the deal, but obviously that’s still TBD (to be determined),” Vance said.

Welcome to DW’s ongoing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.

US and Iranian negotiators have agreed to extend the current ceasefire for another 60 days, according to unnamed sources who spoke to US outlet Axios as well as international news agencies.

However, the deal still awaits the approval of the US President and the Iranian Supreme Leader.

According to reports, the agreement will restart nuclear talks and allow free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Stay tuned for more news and analysis.