Alexander Cornwell: Reuters Senior Middle East Correspondent on the conflict between Israel, Lebanon, peace talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered officials to hold talks with Lebanon, but rejects any reports of a ceasefire there. 

He says Israel's military will continue to strike Hezbollah with force and won't stop until security is restored, but a Lebanese official says it won't negotiate under fire. 

Reuters senior Middle East correspondent Alexander Cornwell told Ryan Bridge if the talks between Israel and Lebanon take place, they'll need some kind of guarantor for it to work.  

He says they'll probably have to come from outside of the region – like the US or the French.  

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says it's allowing the Strait of Hormuz to open but requires vessels to communicate with its military. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So Nittnya, who's now talking about talks over Lebanon, Iran
says the strait is going to stay closed and we
will only reopen it if the US backs off their
quote aggression.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
You cannot have a check and eat it. At the
same time, that was the message that Roon send quite clearly,
crystal clearly, to Washington and to the Oral Office last night.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Alexander Cormeill with US Reutter's senior Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem. Alexander,
nice to have you back on the show, thanks to
being with me. What about Nitta Yahoo, what's the game
plan here do you think.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
To try? I mean, the announcement comes just, you know,
a day after those huge strikes on Lebanon that has
now killed more than three hundred people. We don't have
an official date for these talks that will take place
with the Lebanese now. One thing to keep in mind
is that Lebanon, for the past month, the Lebanese government

(00:53):
has been pushing for direct talks with Israel and Natanya,
who had rebuffed him this whole time. One thing also
to consider is that the US Vice President yesterday and
Budapest said that Israel had sort of decided to check themselves,
as the way he phrased it, after those strikes in Lebanon.
So we'll have to wait and see when and if

(01:14):
those talks will happen. Iran has been adamant that the
ceasefire also include Lebanon, and we've also seen a number
of European states come out to say and say Lebanon
must be included in the ceasefire as well.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Ntnya, who's wanted for a long time the Lebanese government
to go after his Bulla themselves, is there any chance
of that happening.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
I mean, the Lebanese government and the Lebanese Armed Forces
were supposed to do that following a twenty twenty four
agreement that was essentially a ceasefire between Hesbla and Israel,
and the armed forces said that they the Lebanese Armed
Forces said they did take over areas of the south. However,
you know, we did see Hesba open fire in March

(01:57):
following the attacks on Iran against Israel, so it's it's
very unclear what capabilities they have. The Lebanese army had
been withdrawing from some areas of Lebanon as the Israeli
military advance and continued its bombardment. So it's you know,
if these talks happen with these a big ifs, it's
you know, there's going to be some kind of mechanism here,

(02:18):
some kind of guarantee that probably has to come from
outside of Lebanon and outside of Israel, possibly the United States,
possibly the French or always keen to play a role
in Lebanon.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
And as terms of why nitnya who's now saying let's
talk about talks, it's pressure from the US, isn't it.
I was looking at poles that were polling Republican voters
on their support for Israel and its many wars, and
that has been slowly dropping through Iran.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, I mean, well again we saw these huge coordinated
strikes by Israel. Yes, say these strikes. Now, Israel has
traditionally targeted areas of southern Lebanon, of southern beaut areas
that are Shia Muslim areas where known to have a presence,
that are strongholds. Many of the areas that attacked us
they were in mixed religious areas, so Sunni, Muslim and

(03:07):
Christian areas that many Lebanese had thought were safe and
away from Hesbela and the toll the scale attacks has
really panicked many this everyday people in Lebanon. Over a
million people in Lebanon are displaced by have been displaced
by the Israeli military. Over a thousand people have been
killed before yesterday's attacks, and Iran has said this ceasefire

(03:31):
includes Lebanon and that there's no point having negotiations with
the Americans if it's not so. There has been some
question here as to whether the ceasefire the American arrange
seas I would even hold and if those Israeli strikes
as they had, jeopardized the whole truth.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
Appreciate your time and Jore analysis. Alexander Cornwell Reutter has
seen the Middle East Correspondent.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
For more from earlier edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live
to news Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or
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