{"id":2331211,"date":"2024-08-26T17:13:07","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T21:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hezbollah-israel-rocket-exchange-did-not-affect-ceasefire-talks-us-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-26T17:17:28","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T21:17:28","slug":"hezbollah-israel-rocket-exchange-did-not-affect-ceasefire-talks-us-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hezbollah-israel-rocket-exchange-did-not-affect-ceasefire-talks-us-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Hezbollah-Israel rocket exchange did not affect ceasefire talks: US &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhezbollah-israel-rocket-exchange-did-not-affect-ceasefire-talks-us-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2331211&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and how recent exchanges \u2064of rocket\u2063 fire have\u200b not hindered ceasefire negotiations \u200binvolving \u2062the United States, Qatar, and Egypt. Despite Israel&#8217;s military\u2062 strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, labeled as &#8220;preemptive,&#8221; and Hezbollah&#8217;s response with rocket and drone attacks, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that these clashes did \u200cnot impact the ongoing discussions aimed at achieving \u200ba ceasefire with Hamas. The negotiations are crucial following Hamas&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraine-hit-with-massive-cyber-attack-russia-likely-to-blame\/\" title=\"Ukraine Hit With Massive Cyber Attack, Russia Likely To Blame\">significant attack<\/a> on Israel on October 7, which led \u200dto widespread Israeli military\u2062 action in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>The article also highlights the complexity of the \u200bsituation, including the involvement of Iran as a backer of both Hezbollah \u2062and Hamas, and the potential for further escalation\u2063 in the region, especially after the assassination of key figures\u2063 like Hezbollah commander\u2064 Fuad Shukr. The U.S. has increased \u200dits military presence in light of the threats\u200c from Iran and Hezbollah, as talks continue to\u2064 address the remaining issues surrounding a ceasefire agreement. The humanitarian\u2062 toll in Gaza has been\u2062 substantial, with significant \u2062civilian casualties reported \u2062amidst the \u2062fighting.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Hezbollah-Israel rocket exchange did not affect ceasefire talks: US<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1733989\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Israel\">Israel<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hezbollah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Israel\">Hezbollah&rsquo;s<\/a> back-and-forth attacks against one another over the weekend did not fundamentally disrupt the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hamas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hamas<\/a>, according to a White House official.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Israel&rsquo;s military said it struck about 270 targets across Lebanon at Hezbollah targets on Saturday night into Sunday morning in what it described as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3133728\/israel-and-hezbollah-rocket-fire-tension-continues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title='\"preemptive\" strikes'>&ldquo;preemptive&rdquo; strikes<\/a> to prevent an attack. Hezbollah proceeded to fire 230 rockets and 20 drones at Israel, though Israel&rsquo;s air defenses largely prevented casualties and damage, according to the Israel Defense Forces.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They did not have an impact on the ceasefire talks, which is a good thing, and we were glad to see that,&rdquo; National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday. &ldquo;The talks are expected to continue over the coming days through working groups to get the details of how to implement the agreement.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The United States, Qatari, and Egyptian governments have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas since the beginning of the war last October, and they are desperately hoping to get both sides to agree to the current proposal on the table and get it over the finish line.<\/p>\n<p>The negotiations have continued as both Hezbollah and Iran had vowed to attack Israel in retaliation for the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, whom the Israelis said was responsible for an airstrike that resulted in the deaths of about a dozen teenagers in the Golan Heights, and for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran hours later in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Iran<\/a>. Israel has not publicly taken credit for the Haniyeh killing.<\/p>\n<p>Both Israel and Hezbollah have seemingly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/25\/world\/middleeast\/israel-hezbollah-attacks-escalation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>avoided<\/a> an escalation in their tit-for-tat fighting after this weekend&rsquo;s back and forth, however escalation remains a possibility. The two sides have engaged in a limited conflict since October in the aftermath of Hamas&rsquo;s Oct. 7 attack, but a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/quincy-institute-fellow-worries-israeli-lobby-will-scuttle-new-iran-deal\/\" title=\"Quincy Institute Fellow Worries \u2018Israeli Lobby\u2019 Will Scuttle New Iran Deal\">full-scale war<\/a> would be significantly more damaging and would result in many more casualties on both sides.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &ndash; Iranians follow a truck, center, carrying the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard during their funeral ceremony at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kirby said it&rsquo;s unclear whether Iran will attack Israel itself or let the Hezbollah attack stand as their collective response, but he noted, &ldquo;We have to assume that Iran remains postured and prepared,&rdquo; and he added, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to make sure we&rsquo;re postured and prepared, and we are. It&rsquo;s not something we take lightly.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Iran has supported a number of different military and terrorist organizations in the Middle East for decades to build them up so they can carry out Tehran&rsquo;s plans while providing Iran with deniability. Hezbollah and Hamas are both among the groups with Iran&rsquo;s backing.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/u-s-military\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>U.S. military<\/a> increased its military presence in early August amid the threat that Iran and Hezbollah could carry out a large-scale attack on Israel and potentially against the U.S. troops already deployed in the region. <\/p>\n<p>Over the last several days, negotiators have met with all sides and continue to work through the details. The Israeli side met with the U.S. and Egyptian delegates last Thursday, while on Friday, the U.S. and Egyptian representatives consulted bilaterally on the remaining gaps, and then on Saturday, Qatari and Egyptian officials met with senior representatives of Hamas, according to an official familiar with the talks. At the end of the talks on Sunday, &ldquo;all sides agreed on a process to continue over the coming days to work out the details on the last remaining issues,&rdquo; the official said.<\/p>\n<p>The working group will work for the next couple of days, though it could go &ldquo;longer or end sooner,&rdquo; Kirby noted. &ldquo;I think really it&rsquo;s going to be up to those in the room and what they&rsquo;re able to accomplish.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The war broke out in the aftermath of Hamas&rsquo;s Oct. 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel, in which thousands of terrorists came through the border and killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped about 250 others. About a hundred of them were released during a weeklong ceasefire in late November, but slightly more than a hundred are believed to still be held, though their well-being is unknown. A handful of Americans are still being held by Hamas.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Israel has decimated Gaza&rsquo;s infrastructure and Hamas&rsquo;s ranks, taking out several top leaders. The Palestinian death toll, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, is north of 40,000, but that number does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israeli officials have said about 17,000 Hamas fighters have been killed and have pointed to Hamas&rsquo;s strategy of embedding around and underneath civilians as a part of the group&rsquo;s strategy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know that there&rsquo;s been a more complex operational environment than Gaza in the history of warfare, especially modern warfare where so much of the fight is subterranean and you&rsquo;re trying to affect those subterranean networks from the air or from the ground,&rdquo; Christopher Maier, assistant secretary for special operations and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/volunteer-battalions-potent-weapon-for-ukraine-against-russia-or-problem\/\" title=\"Volunteer Battalions: Potent Weapon For Ukraine Against Russia or Problem?\">low-intensity conflict<\/a>, said during a Defense Writers Group event last week. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s particularly challenged, of course, by the fact that Hamas uses that environment to their operational and tactical advantage, and I think it becomes particularly hard to ask the Israelis to use all the discretion in the world,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;That would be ideal. Understanding that they still have a military objective to remove Hamas from a number of the places that they continue to operate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The negotiators are currently working off a framework that President Joe Biden publicly described back at the end of May, though the mediators have not been able to get the deal finalized this summer. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Biden&rsquo;s proposal would include three phases, the first of which would last six weeks and would include the cessation of fighting, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza, a flood of humanitarian aid allowed to enter Gaza and distributed without concern for the war, and several times as many Palestinians freed from Israel&rsquo;s prisons in exchange for the release of a couple of dozen of the hostages.<\/p>\n<p>The second phase would include the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in exchange for the release of all the other living hostages, while the third phase would include the start of the reconstruction of Gaza and the release of the remains of any hostages who were killed in captivity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1733989\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1733989\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recent exchange of rocket fire between Hezbollah and Israel did not significantly hinder the ongoing ceasefire discussions between Israel and Hamas, as stated by a White House representative. Over the weekend, Israel&#8217;s military reported targeting approximately 270 sites in Lebanon linked to Hezbollah during what it termed &#8220;preemptive&#8221; strikes aimed at thwarting potential attacks. In response, Hezbollah launched around 230 rockets and 20 drones towards Israel; however, Israeli air defenses largely mitigated any casualties or damage, according to the Israel Defense Forces. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby remarked on Monday that these developments did not impact the ceasefire negotiations positively. He noted that talks would proceed in the coming days through working groups focused on finalizing implementation details of an agreement.<\/p>\n<p>Since the conflict began last October, U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian officials have been mediating between Israel and Hamas with hopes of reaching a consensus on current proposals. Negotiations have persisted despite threats from both Hezbollah and Iran to retaliate against Israel for its assassination of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr\u2014who was implicated in an airstrike that killed several teenagers\u2014and for killing Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh shortly thereafter in Tehran.<\/p>\n<p>While both sides appear to be avoiding further escalation following their recent exchanges, tensions remain high. The limited conflict has been ongoing since October after Hamas&#8217;s attack on October 7 resulted in significant Israeli casualties and kidnappings. Although some hostages were released during a brief ceasefire last November, many are still believed to be held by Hamas.<\/p>\n<p>Israel has conducted extensive military operations against Gaza\u2019s infrastructure since then, leading to substantial Palestinian casualties\u2014over 40,000 according to Gaza Health Ministry figures\u2014though this number does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israeli officials claim around 17,000 Hamas fighters have died due to their strategy of operating among civilians.<\/p>\n<p>Negotiators are currently working within a framework proposed by President Joe Biden earlier this year which outlines three phases aimed at achieving peace: halting fighting while allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza; complete withdrawal of Israeli forces in exchange for all living hostages; followed by reconstruction efforts for Gaza alongside returning remains of any deceased hostages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2671,"featured_media":2331212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/israel-hezbollah-exchange-fire-aug-25.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[24658,4671,39332],"class_list":["post-2331211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-hezbollah","tag-israel","tag-rocket-exchange"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/israel-hezbollah-exchange-fire-aug-25.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2331211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2331211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2331211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2331212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2331211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2331211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2331211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}