Israeli Army Continues Lebanon Offensive as French and Saudi Envoys Hold Beirut Talks
The Israeli army continues its offensive in southern Lebanon through Sunday despite the trilateral conditional ceasefire signed Wednesday in Washington. French and Saudi envoys are in Beirut over the weekend testing whether Hezbollah will allow indirect compliance with the conditional truce. Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem maintains his Thursday rejection and demands a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. Israeli forces remain at the Beaufort Castle / Beaufort Ridge / Wadi al-Saluki line beyond the Litani River.
The French-Saudi envoy mission to Beirut is the structural mechanism for getting indirect Hezbollah engagement without formal US-Hezbollah contact. France has historically been the principal European external player in Lebanese politics; Saudi Arabia has been the principal Gulf-state player. The combined envoy mission signals a coordinated international push to lock in the Lebanon track in parallel with the broader US-Iran framework deal. Iran has consistently insisted Lebanon coverage is binding on the framework; the Wednesday conditional ceasefire is a partial resolution that Iran may not accept as sufficient. The Israeli defence minister’s “freedom to strike Beirut” framing materially complicates the envoy mission.