Israeli forces push deeper into Lebanon as Pentagon talks begin

Lebanese and Israeli military officials held their first direct talks in more than three decades at the Pentagon on Friday, even as Israeli forces advanced deeper into southern Lebanon and airstrikes killed at least six people, The Korea Times reported.

The simultaneous diplomatic and military escalation underscores the fragility of a nominal ceasefire that took effect April 17, with U.S. and Iranian negotiators having reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the truce by 60 days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern front Friday and told troops the offensive was producing results. "I must tell you that there are very impressive results here. Our forces have crossed the Litani; they have advanced to controlling positions," Netanyahu said, according to The Korea Times, which cited The Associated Press.

Israeli airstrikes killed five people in the villages of Deir Qanoun al Nahr and Abbasiyeh and one municipal policeman in Ebba. Ground forces entered the village of Dibbine near the town of Marjayoun, crossing the Litani River — a de facto operational boundary for Israeli forces — as the military issued evacuation warnings for residents across southern Lebanon.

In Washington, a six-member Lebanese military delegation led by Brig. Gen. George Rizkallah held direct talks with Israeli counterparts at the Pentagon. The Lebanese side sought reactivation of a ceasefire monitoring committee and discussed a framework for Israeli troop withdrawal, the Korea Times reported.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in a message delivered to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said "efforts should concentrate on implementing the ceasefire as it is the essential entry point for transitioning to any other issues."

The tentative U.S.-Iran 60-day ceasefire extension drew a cautious response from Hezbollah. Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah legislator, said "any deal between Iran and the U.S. would stop Israel's offensive in Lebanon," according to the Korea Times. Netanyahu, meanwhile, said Israeli forces were "dealing Hezbollah a crushing blow" across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and the entire length of the front.

The conflict, which escalated in early March, has killed at least 3,200 people in Lebanon and displaced 1 million others, with the Pentagon meeting marking the first direct bilateral military engagement between the two countries in more than 30 years.