Lebanon, Iran urge Israel to stop attacks, withdraw from Lebanese territory

Lebanon and Iran demanded on Thursday that the Israeli military withdraw fully from Lebanese territory and commit to a full ceasefire, as Israeli troops began a phased pullback from the country's south.

In an interview with local media, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that he had been in touch with key international and domestic players since 02:00 local time to shore up a ceasefire deal.

Lebanon was waiting for responses from all parties and guarantees that commitments will be honored, and once the agreement gets final approval, it can go into effect within 24 hours, the president said during the interview.

Referring to the deal as the last opportunity, Aoun cautioned that if the deal falls apart, all sides will shoulder the responsibility.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that Aoun met Special Envoy of the French President to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian on the same day and welcomed support from friendly and brotherly nations in cementing the truce.

During the meeting, Aoun stressed the need to avoid giving Israel any pretext not to withdraw.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem also demanded on Thursday a full Israeli pullout and a comprehensive ceasefire, and said that resistance against Israel will continue and Israeli settlements will remain unsafe as long as Israeli occupation and attacks on Lebanese territory persist.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that Israel must immediately stop its attacks against the Lebanese people and withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories.

In a statement on its official Sepah News outlet, the IRGC reaffirmed that Iran's primary condition for accepting the April 8 truce with the United States and Israel was a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Separately, IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani said on Thursday that Israel must withdraw from positions it occupied in Lebanon before the outbreak of the latest round of conflict.

Calling support for Lebanon's resistance movement a shared duty, Qaani said the essence of the resistance's demands is an Israeli withdrawal to pre-conflict lines and said that Lebanese fighters would soon see the results of their steadfast resistance.

Qaani had warned on Monday that U.S.-backed Israeli provocations and aggression against Lebanon and Gaza were fueling regional tensions and that continued strikes would trigger further action from what he called the 'Axis of Resistance'.

Lebanese security sources and eyewitnesses confirmed Thursday that Israeli forces had begun gradually pulling out of the town of Dibbine in Marjayoun District in southern Lebanon.

Figures from Lebanon's Health Ministry released on Wednesday show that since the conflict erupted again on March 2, Israeli strikes across Lebanon have killed 3,516 people and wounded 10,674.

The latest flare-up of the Lebanon-Israel conflict came after the U.S. and Israel launched a major military operation against Iran on February 28. A 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon took effect on April 17, and was extended several times.

Despite the truce, Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Lebanon citing Hezbollah's ceasefire violations, while demolishing what it describes as Hezbollah military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon, Iran urge Israel to stop attacks, withdraw from Lebanese territory

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia is fully prepared and willing to negotiate with Ukraine at a U.S. military facility in Anchorage, Alaska, while his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting.

Putin noted that Russia is ready to accept those compromises discussed by the Russian and U.S. leaders during their Anchorage meeting last August, but stressed that Ukraine must also consent, and then the conflict will quickly come to a natural conclusion.

Ukraine has previously rejected the Anchorage framework, as it calls for Ukraine to cede territory.

Russia's Presidential Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev said at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday that despite efforts by forces seeking to prolong the war to disrupt talks between Russia and the U.S., bilateral engagement on Ukraine has made substantive progress.

Dmitriev dismissed reports that Russia-U.S. contacts have stalled, accusing other European nations of spreading disinformation to hinder the peace process.

Dmitriev also said that on Wednesday he had spoken by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and discussed bilateral economic cooperation.

He said the U.S. side had underscored the need to embrace peace rather than engage in constant provocations and confrontations.

The U.S. has been pushing for peace and Ukraine should join the process, Dmitriev noted, adding there were plans for further contacts with Witkoff and Kushner next week.

Later on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Putin, proposing to end the conflict through direct talks between the two leaders.

Relevant parties, including European countries and the U.S., should be part of the peace negotiations, the letter stated.

Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire during the talks and proposes an exchange of prisoners of war on the principle of "all for all," Zelensky also said in the letter.

Russia ready to talk with Ukraine at U.S. military base: Putin