Council President Kyle Herman 🇺🇸🗽

🇱🇧 VICE News shows how ISIS and Hezbollah are operating within Lebanon, a country already struggling with economic collapse and political instability. The imbalance is hard to miss: non-state military power shaping events inside a weak government, with civilians caught in the middle, trying to fight back. Why it matters: instability here doesn’t stay local, and risks pulling in regional players, disrupting global energy routes, and escalating wider conflict. Source: Vice News

🇱🇧🇺🇸🇮🇱 The U.S. State Department issued a readout after a trilateral meeting with Israel and Lebanon on April 14. It marks the first high level engagement between the two countries since 1993 to discuss launching direct negotiations. Washington called the talks a historic milestone. It supported Lebanon’s plan to restore its monopoly on force and curb Iranian influence. The U.S. reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, insisted any ceasefire go through official U.S led channels, and said successful talks could unlock reconstruction aid for Lebanon. Israel pushed for disarming all non state groups. Lebanon emphasized sovereignty and full implementation of the November 2024 ceasefire. Source: U.S. State Department

‼️ Joint Statement after the Lebanese Israeli meeting brokered by the US today in the State Department: The U.S. Department of State convened a trilateral meeting on April 14, 2026, with the participation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Counselor Michael Needham, United States Ambassador to Lebanon Issa, Ambassador of Israel to the United States Yechiel Leiter, the Ambassador of Lebanon to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad. This meeting marked the first major high-level engagement between the governments of Israel and Lebanon since 1993. The participants held productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. The United States congratulated the two countries on this historic milestone and expressed its support for further talks, and for the Government of Lebanon's plans to restore the monopoly of force and to end Iran's overbearing influence. The United States expressed its hope that talks can exceed the scope of the 2024 agreement and bring about a comprehensive peace deal. The United States expressed its support for Israel's right to defend itself from Hizballah's continued attacks. The United States affirmed that any agreement to cease hostilities must be reached between the two governments, brokered by the United States, and not through any separate track. The United States underscored that these negotiations have the potential to unlock significant reconstruction assistance and economic recovery for Lebanon and expand investment opportunities for both countries. The State of Israel expressed its support for disarming all non-state terror groups and dismantle all terror infrastructure in Lebanon and expressed its commitment to working with the Government of Lebanon to achieve that goal to ensure security for the people of both countries. Israel expressed its commitment to engage in direct negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues and achieve a durable peace that will strengthen security, stability and prosperity in the region. The State of Lebanon reaffirmed the urgent need for the full implementation of the cessation of hostilities announcement of November 2024, underscoring the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty, while calling for a ceasefire and concrete measures to address and alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis that the country continues to endure as a result of the ongoing conflict. All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.

🇱🇧🇺🇸 Hillary Clinton calls on Israel to support the Lebanese government and stop making their job harder: "There has not been a better Lebanese government since the Syrians and Iranians assassinated Hariri. Rather than making their task even harder, work with them."

Better than your average placard. This was in Budapest a little earlier tonight.

On two occasions today, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers rammed UNIFIL vehicles with a Merkava tank, in one case causing significant damage. The soldiers had blocked a road in Bayada that is used to access UNIFIL positions.

Antisemitism is real. It’s not the whole explanation. Some of Israel’s collapse in global opinion is antisemitism. Some of it is the rhetoric and policy decisions of this government. Pretending otherwise doesn’t protect Israel — it makes the problem harder to solve.