Salam: Negotiating with Israel is the least costly approach

Negotiations and dialogue in Washington, conflict and airstrikes in Lebanon. Saturday, May 30 was marked by an intervention from Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who condemned Israeli airstrikes, while the Pentagon assured that discussions between Israeli and Lebanese military officials in Washington on Friday, May 29 had been "constructive."

In a televised address, Nawaf Salam argued that Israel's "scorched earth policy" and "collective punishment" would bring it neither security nor stability.

Following new Israeli-Lebanese discussions at the Pentagon, as the Israeli military continues to advance deep into Lebanese territory, Salam nonetheless defended the continuation of negotiations with Israel. These constitute "the least costly path" for Beirut, emphasized the head of government.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, for his part, assured U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that a ceasefire was "an essential prerequisite" for any progress in negotiations.

Pentagon Deputy Chief Elbridge Colby described Friday's meeting as "constructive," saying it would serve as "a foundation for the political track" to be addressed by the two countries on June 2 and 3 at the State Department.

According to an Israeli source cited by Reuters, Israel and Lebanon did not address the issue of southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, where Israel claims to have largely contained its attacks under U.S. pressure.

Israel continues its expansion northward

On the military operations front, the Israeli military called on Saturday morning for residents of more than a dozen villages in South Lebanon to evacuate before airstrikes targeting several localities in the region.

For its part, the Lebanese army announced that an Israeli drone strike, described as "targeted," had seriously wounded two of its soldiers in a vehicle near the city of Nabatieh.

Artillery fire also targeted the surroundings of the medieval fortress of Beaufort, following statements by Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Raggi and Culture Minister Ghassan Salamé, who had expressed concern about the "serious threat" that Israeli attacks pose to historical heritage.

It should be noted in this regard that the Israeli military released a video, widely circulated by several Lebanese media outlets, showing that the strikes that hit the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in Marjayoun 48 hours earlier came from positions held by Hezbollah.

Appeals from influential circles in Nabatieh and Tyre

Faced with a surge in raids and bombings, President Joseph Aoun and the Prime Minister denounced in a joint statement "Israel's condemnable practices," "the expansion of its attacks," as well as "the continuation of bombings and the bulldozing of homes and historical sites."

It should be noted against the backdrop of this context that about a hundred intellectuals and influential figures from Nabatieh and an equal number from the city of Tyre have respectively issued an "appeal" in which they demand the demilitarization of both localities, the end of all militia presence, and the restoration of the sole authority of the state and army in the cities in question. Both "appeals" stand against the fact that the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards have drawn South Lebanon into a "futile war" and support the steps undertaken by the Lebanese government to restore peace in South Lebanon. It should be noted that Hezbollah issued a statement strongly condemning the content of both the Nabatieh and Tyre "appeals."

In Iran, Washington's "red lines"

On the regional front, the United States said Saturday that it has the necessary means to resume military action against Iran, while reaffirming that a peace agreement would only be possible if their "red lines" were respected.

In this context, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the United States was "fully capable" of resuming hostilities against Iran "if necessary." "Our stockpiles are well-suited for this purpose," he said at a defense forum in Singapore.

An American diplomatic source indicated Saturday that if negotiations stall over three key issues — enriched uranium stockpiles, the Strait of Hormuz, and frozen Iranian assets abroad — the main obstacle stems from the regime's hardline faction.

This is notably represented by General Esmail Qa'ani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, as well as by deputy Ebrahim Azizi, known for his radical positions.

According to this source, these two influential figures in the regime oppose the Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has recently shown signs of openness toward Washington.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, a statement made Saturday by a security official of Kataeb Hezbollah — an organization often referred to as the "Iraqi Hezbollah" — has reignited the controversy over the future of weapons outside state control, as political sources in Baghdad indicate that five armed factions may be considering beginning to lay down their weapons.

This Shiite faction close to Iran stressed that it refuses to hand over its weapons to the central government and is determined to "continue the resistance," stating that it was "ready to receive certain specialized weapons for which state institutions lack the necessary expertise, such as drones, cruise missiles, and anti-tank weapons," adding that it was also "ready to finance them."

It should be noted, in conclusion, that the U.S. State Department has removed Tom Barrack from his position as special envoy for Syria, without providing further details.