Netanyahu threatens truce collapse, Hezbollah responds.. Divisions over Washington meeting
Israel Lebanon ceasefire violations.. Hezbollah: 500 breaches since agreement began
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchanged contradictory statements regarding the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu accused the party of carrying out violations that lead to dismantling the agreement, affirming that the Israeli army is operating forcefully in Lebanon. In response, the party announced it was targeting Israeli army gatherings with drones, considering that a response to Israeli violations that have exceeded 500 breaches since the truce began.
On the ground, Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon continue, accompanied by Israeli voices questioning the war’s feasibility, amid reports of an upcoming meeting between Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington.
Netanyahu’s accusation of Hezbollah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, during the weekly government session, that Hezbollah’s violations effectively lead to the dismantling of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.
He added that the Israeli army is operating forcefully in Lebanon, according to rules agreed upon with the United States and also with Lebanon, including freedom to respond to attacks and thwart immediate and developing threats.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes on southern Lebanon, targeting several towns including Arnoun, Beit Yahoun, Safad al-Batikh, Burj Qalawi, Deidan, and Zawtar al-Sharqiya.
The Israeli army announced the destruction of an underground offensive path in Lebanon, containing rest rooms, military equipment, and combat means. It also issued an urgent warning to residents of 7 southern towns to evacuate immediately, and dropped leaflets over Mansouri warning citizens not to return to 76 southern towns and villages.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported the killing of two people and the injury of 17 others in a raid on Safad al-Batikh, and the killing of one person and injury of three in Burj Qalawi. The Israeli army also carried out demolition operations of residential buildings in Yaroun town.
Netanyahu accuses Hezbollah of undermining the ceasefire https://t.co/RaQo9iFv91
— Rudaw عربية (@rudaw_arabic) April 26, 2026
Hezbollah responds: Targeting gatherings is a legitimate response
In response, Hezbollah announced that targeting Israeli army gatherings on Lebanese territory is a legitimate response to ongoing Israeli violations.
The party stressed that the continuation of violations and raids will be met with response, affirming that extending the truce for additional weeks was supposed to lead to a genuine ceasefire.
Hezbollah explained that Israeli violations have exceeded 500 breaches by land, sea, and air since the truce began, including shelling, demolition, destruction of homes, and resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries.
It also announced targeting an Israeli army artillery post in Al-Bayada with a swarm of drones, targeting a military vehicle in Al-Qantara, and gatherings of soldiers in Taybeh town, achieving confirmed casualties.
Hezbollah rejects Netanyahu’s accusations of undermining the ceasefire and insists on responding https://t.co/D3qHCKz2ob
— Rudaw عربية (@rudaw_arabic) April 26, 2026
Israeli voices questioning the war’s feasibility
Israel Hayom newspaper quoted a senior Israeli official as saying there is no military solution to prevent Hezbollah from targeting Israel, questioning any military benefit from renewing the war. He indicated that the security and political cabinet did not instruct the army to eliminate Hezbollah’s military power, and that military plans are unrealistic.
Meanwhile, Maariv newspaper reported that the political level is paralyzed and the army is sinking, affirming that Israeli soldiers in Lebanon are becoming stationary targets while US President Donald Trump manages the war from Washington.
News of a Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in Washington
In a notable development, Israeli Channel 15 predicted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s travel to Washington within two and a half weeks to participate in a summit with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, amid ongoing raids and escalation on the ground.
Positions of the parties regarding the upcoming meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington vary. On one hand, US President Donald Trump announced that the two leaders “will come to the White House within the next two weeks” with the aim of extending the truce and reaching a peace agreement.
On the other hand, Lebanese President Aoun affirmed categorically that “communication with the Israeli Prime Minister was not and will not be on his agenda,” stipulating that any direct negotiations cannot precede a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
As for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he expressed support for the idea, stating that his goal from any talks is to “dismantle Hezbollah” and achieve “sustainable peace,” while Israeli cabinet member Gila Gamliel described the upcoming meeting as potentially leading to the “prosperity of Lebanon as a state.”
Reports indicate that Beirut officially informed Washington of Aoun’s refusal to hold any contact with Netanyahu, a position that was met with “understanding” from the American side.
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