Israel approves further plans in Lebanon offensive, despite ceasefire

Israel’s offensive in Lebanon showed no signs of abating even as the US and Iran looked to agree a longer-term truce.

It is unclear whether negotiations between Washington and Tehran will also address the fighting in Lebanon, but Israel’s military on Sunday approved plans to maintain an assault on Hezbollah and the Israeli prime minister said Washington had offered assurances that it could respond to military threats “on every front.”

A ceasefire is ostensibly in place in Lebanon, but Israel over the weekend bombed parts of the country: Israel says it is targeting the Iran-backed proxy, but aid groups worry the violence risks worsening a humanitarian catastrophe in which a fifth of the population has been displaced.