Israel-Hamas War Cease-Fire, Hostage Talks Will Continue After Weekend Meetings Didn't Resolve Gaps

JERUSALEM (AP) — A information of high-level talks successful Cairo meant to bring astir a cease-fire and hostage woody to astatine slightest temporarily extremity nan 10-month Israel-Hamas warfare successful Gaza ended Sunday without a last agreement, a U.S. charismatic said. But talks will proceed astatine little levels successful nan coming days successful an effort to span remaining gaps.

The official, who said connected nan information of anonymity to talk nan talks, said little level “working teams” will stay successful Cairo to meet pinch mediators nan United States, Qatar, and Egypt successful hopes to addressing remaining disagreements. The charismatic called nan caller conversations, which began Thursday successful Cairo and continued done Sunday, arsenic “constructive” and said each parties were moving to “reach a last and implementable agreement.”

The talks included CIA head William Burns and David Barnea, nan caput of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. A Hamas delegation was briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but did not straight return portion successful negotiations.

The improvement came aft Israel and nan Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded dense occurrence early Sunday but backed disconnected from sparking a wide feared all-out war, arsenic some sides signaled their astir aggravated speech successful months was over.

Hezbollah claimed to deed an Israeli subject intelligence tract adjacent Tel Aviv arsenic portion of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, and Israel claimed its dozens of strikes had been preemptive to avert a larger attack. Neither offered evidence.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said nan attack, a consequence to Israel’s sidesplitting of a apical militant commander successful Beirut past month, had been delayed to springiness nan Gaza cease-fire talks a chance, and truthful chap Iran-backed groups could talk pinch Iran whether to onslaught Israel each astatine once. Israeli and U.S. subject deployment besides played a role.

“We will now reserve nan correct to respond astatine a later time” if nan results of Sunday’s onslaught aren’t sufficient, Nasrallah said, adding that allied Houthi rebels successful Yemen ― and Iran itself ― had yet to respond. But he told nan Lebanese people: “At this existent stage, nan state tin return a activity and relax.”

Israel and Hezbollah said they aimed only astatine subject targets. Israel said nary subject target was deed by Hezbollah but that 1 worker pinch its navy was killed and 2 others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire, aliases by shrapnel from one. Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, nan groups said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said nan subject eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed astatine bluish Israel and changeable down drones heading for nan halfway of nan country.

“I repetition — this is not nan extremity of nan story,” he added.

Air ambush sirens were reported passim bluish Israel, and Israel’s world airdrome closed and diverted flights for astir an hour.

Israel’s subject spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said astir 100 Israeli planes struck 270 targets, 90% of them rocket launchers aimed astatine bluish Israel. He said they were investigating nan percent of incoming rockets and drones intercepted but said nan “vast majority” were thwarted.

Hezbollah said its onslaught progressive much than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed astatine aggregate sites successful Israel and a “large number” of drones.

Some Israelis were shaken. In nan bluish metropolis of Acre, retired coach Saadia Even Tsur, 76, said he was astatine nan synagogue and arrived location 5 minutes aft his chamber was damaged. “I went up and saw nan size of nan occurrence that happened to me,” he said. A model was surgery and debris was connected nan bed.

Lebanon’s caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam, aft an emergency authorities meeting, said officials were “feeling a spot much optimistic” astir a de-escalation aft some sides confirmed that nan operations had ended.

President Joe Biden was “closely monitoring events successful Israel and Lebanon,” according to Sean Savett, a spokesperson for nan National Security Council. The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said pinch his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, and ordered some U.S. bearer onslaught groups successful nan region to stay. The U.S. subject has been building up its forces crossed nan region successful caller weeks.

The president of nan Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, arrived successful Israel precocious Sunday for meetings connected what nan Israeli subject called “joint preparations successful nan region arsenic portion of nan consequence to threats successful nan Middle East.”

Danny Citrinowicz, an master astatine Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah mightiness beryllium trying to “balance nan equation without escalating into war.” Each broadside hopes their communicative will beryllium capable for them to state triumph and debar a wider confrontation, he said.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost instantly aft nan commencement of nan warfare successful Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught into confederate Israel. Israel and Hezbollah person exchanged occurrence almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of group connected some sides of nan border.

Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate successful 2006, is believed to beryllium far much powerful now. The United States and Israel estimate it has immoderate 150,000 rockets and is tin of hitting anyplace wrong Israel. The group has besides developed drones tin of evading Israel’s defenses, arsenic good arsenic precision-guided munitions.

Israel has vowed a crushing consequence to immoderate awesome Hezbollah attack. It has an extended multi-tiered rocket defense system, and it is backed by a U.S.-led conjugation that helped it sprout down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year.

Hezbollah is simply a adjacent state of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate against Israel for nan sidesplitting of elder Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh successful Tehran past month. Israel has not said whether it was involved.

Iranian authorities media played up nan Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but location was nary contiguous remark from Iranian officials.

The U.S. and different mediators spot a cease-fire successful Gaza arsenic cardinal to averting a wider Mideast war. Hezbollah has said it will halt its strikes connected Israel if location is simply a cease-fire.

The talks successful Cairo connected Sunday aimed astatine bridging gaps successful a connection for a truce and nan merchandise of scores of hostages held by Hamas. The talks included CIA head William Burns and David Barnea, nan caput of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

The Hamas delegation was briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but did not straight return portion successful negotiations.

In nan occupied West Bank, Israel’s subject said it killed 2 group who allegedly tried to tally complete soldiers successful Ariel, somewhat hurting one.

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Madhani reported from Dover Air Force Base, Del. Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb successful Beirut, Melanie Lidman successful Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy successful Cairo, Alexis Triboulard successful Acre, Israel.

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