After a massive exchange of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah over the weekend, the White House said that the negotiators continue to work to strike a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages, CNN reported.
The Israel Defense Forces said it was investigating the death of a sailor aboard a naval vessel off the coast of northern Israel during Hezbollah's Sunday morning rocket barrage.
"I don't think Iran wants to find itself in escalation, especially when the US presence in the region is (now) in staggering numbers," an Israeli official was cited as saying by CNN news outlet.
His statement comes after the Israeli military conducted pre-emptive strikes against what it said were "terror targets in Lebanon" after it claimed to have identified Hezbollah as "preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory."
Around 100 Israeli Air Force fighter jets have struck and eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels aimed at northern and central Israel, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Amid ongoing exchanges of fire on the Israel-Lebanon border, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III during talks with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant reaffirmed that the United States remains committed to Israel's security.
Southern Israeli communities remain divided over a government-organized ceremony commemorating the October 7 attacks as the Cabinet minister tasked with organizing the event presented her planned format to the media on Thursday.
The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) identified a Hezbollah terrorist cell that had launched rockets into the area of Zerait in Israel, operating in a building in the area of Chihine in southern Lebanon.