Israel releases four civilians and steps up its strikes on Lebanon

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Friday that it had transferred four more people released by Israel to Lebanon, a day after the release of a first civilian. They are three Lebanese nationals and two Syrians, according to the ICRC.

This is the first time such an operation has taken place since negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began in April under US auspices.

During the last round of talks in August, Beirut had requested the release of a first group of its nationals captured by Israel in southern Lebanon, where Israel is at war with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.

Their relatives estimate their number at around thirty, including fighters from the Islamist movement.

In a statement, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun thanked the United States and the ICRC, saying the release "confirmed the soundness of the position" taken by Lebanon, which is engaged in negotiations with Israel that Hezbollah rejects.

On Thursday, the United States praised "the government of Israel and the government of Lebanon for demonstrating good faith through these initial steps," expressing hope that this would "serve as a foundation for broader discussions on other civilian matters."

The two countries are set to hold another round of negotiations in September, though the date has not yet been set.

According to the Israeli prime minister's office, Thursday's announcement "follows efforts by Israel and Lebanon to locate and repatriate the remains of Jewish community leaders who were kidnapped and killed in Lebanon" between 1984 and 1986.

Israeli strikes intensify

On the ground, Israeli strikes killed three people and wounded 23 others on Friday in southern and eastern Lebanon.

Israel stepped up its strikes in the region on Friday, after announcing Thursday evening that it had taken control of the Ali Taher mountain ridge, which had served as a strategic position for the pro-Iranian Hezbollah and overlooks Nabatiyeh, among other areas.

The army will now reinforce its positions there in order to "prevent the enemy from retaking the area," said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

A strike also hit the Tyre region, particularly the village of Rmadiyé, according to the National News Agency (NNA).

For Trump, the war in Iran is "small potatoes"

Regarding the war in Iran, US President Donald Trump sought on Friday to downplay its impact on the United States ahead of the crucial midterm elections.

"A lot of people aren't calling it a war. I call it a military conflict, because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big deal. We did Venezuela, and we did that," he told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about his vice president, JD Vance, who had said the day before that he didn't want to call the conflict a war.

With fuel prices surging because of the war and threatening to cost Donald Trump's Republicans their majority in Congress in November's midterm elections, his administration is working to downplay the scale of the conflict.

According to the president, the United States is carrying out "targeted strikes," insisting that it is "not currently engaged in fighting."

He also claimed that the United States controlled the Strait of Hormuz and had wiped out Iran's armed forces.

"What we've accomplished is remarkable. We took control of Venezuela, and we've essentially taken control of Iran," he said.