After two days of negotiations, the outcome of the latest direct talks between Lebanon and Israel – mediated by the United States – is the announcement of a 45-day extension of the "truce" officially in force since mid-April , but never actually respected on the ground.
While the next round is scheduled for June 2-3, Israeli raids continue unabated in southern Lebanon, along with Hezbollah's counterattacks against the occupation forces and the systematic destruction , using explosives and Star of David bulldozers, of entire Lebanese towns south of the Litani River. Israel has announced the killing of another soldier in Lebanon, bringing the death toll to 19 soldiers and a civilian contractor. And in the evening, in what the Jewish media are calling a "possible ceasefire violation," the war against Hamas has also reignited : the Israeli air force targeted Izz al-Din Haddad, leader of the Palestinian group in the Strip and commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, with a raid on a residential building in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. According to a senior Israeli security official quoted by the Times of Israel, there are "early indications" that the leader was killed in the raid.
"This is a clear message to all the murderers seeking our lives: sooner or later, Israel will catch up with you," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Israel Katz thundered in a statement, announcing the attack against the militant described as "one of the architects of the October 7 massacre." These statements raise fears for the truce in the Gaza Strip and are also resonating on the front lines in Lebanon, where the official death toll since the start of the new phase of the war has risen to 2,951, including approximately 200 children, and approximately 9,000 wounded. In the last 24 hours, according to Beirut authorities, 59 people have died.
In this context, the Italian government has announced a new humanitarian aid package for Lebanon worth 15 million euros, following the 10 million already decided in April, to support emergency interventions for the civilian population.
