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2026-05-26 07:30:40
[Amid US-Iran Peace Talks, Netanyahu Announces Increased Crackdown on Hezbollah] 1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that he would intensify the crackdown on Hezbollah in Lebanon. This comes as the United States and Iran intensify negotiations to seek a peace agreement to end the conflict in the Middle East. Previously, Iran had demanded that Lebanon cease its hostilities against Israel as part of a condition for reaching an agreement with the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 2. Reports indicate that a potential draft agreement between the US and Iran does indeed include clauses to end the war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Netanyahu spoke with US President Trump on Saturday evening regarding this, with Trump reiterating that "Israel has the right to defend its security from threats from all directions, including those from Lebanon." 3. Netanyahu also stated that he and Trump agree that the final agreement with Iran "must completely eliminate the nuclear threat." 4. Monday's military action was triggered by a series of exchanges of fire. Earlier that day, a Hezbollah-launched explosive drone landed in the northern Israeli border town of Metura, hitting a residential house; simultaneously, a rocket aimed at Israel was successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force. In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched a large-scale airstrike against Hezbollah infrastructure targets in southern Lebanon. 5. A statement released by the Israeli military on Telegram stated that it had struck more than 70 Hezbollah military targets within Lebanon. Local residents and medical institutions reported that the airstrikes killed at least seven people and injured dozens more. The Israeli military also issued evacuation warnings to about 10 villages and towns in southern Lebanon, urging residents to move to a safe area at least one kilometer away. 6. According to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, just hours after Netanyahu announced further airstrikes against Lebanon, a large explosion was heard near the Strait of Hormuz, close to the Iranian coastal cities of Sirik and Jask. As of now, Iranian officials have not provided a clear explanation for the specific cause of the explosion, nor have they directly linked it to the Israeli military operation.
