The Lebanese stage has been turned upside down,” notes L’Orient-Le Jour. “Following a day of deadly Israeli strikes in the capital and across the country, alongside statements from Tel Aviv and Washington that Lebanon will not be involved in the ceasefire and negotiations with Tehran, the entire landscape has been disrupted,” writes the Lebanese newspaper.
Because “on Thursday evening, Israel agreed to engage in direct negotiations with Lebanon, and Beirut is preparing for it,” the newspaper assures.
This is a “small hope for de-escalation,” believes Bloomberg. The economic media confirms that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “agreed to engage in talks” with the cedar country, while Donald Trump assured that the Israeli leader would “reduce” the intensity of the strikes “on this country consumed by war.”
On Thursday, the Lebanese were still counting the dead in the ruins of the “Black Wednesday,” which resulted, according to the latest toll, in over 300 dead and 1,150 injured.
“Low profile”
“The proposal for direct negotiations is not new,” notes El País. “It was formulated by the government of Beirut – the most determined to disarm Hezbollah, which had banned its military actions a month ago when [the armed group] resumed its attacks against Israel in support of Iran.”
But “Netanyahu did not respond,” recalls the Spanish newspaper. “The Prime Minister now explains his willingness to engage in such discussions” as a response to the “repeated requests of Lebanon.”
In reality, Mr. Netanyahu folded to “Trump’s demands,” assures The New York Post. The American president, fearing that the actions of the Israeli state in Lebanon would sabotage the discussions scheduled for this weekend with Iran, picked up the phone on Wednesday to demand restraint from the Israeli leader.
The White House tenant confirmed Thursday the substance of his conversation with his Israeli ally in an interview with NBC News, asserting that the Israeli state would “reduce the scope” of its operations in Lebanon.
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