Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says Lebanon wants to “solidify” the ceasefire ahead of the next round of negotiations with Israel.

“If Israeli attacks continue, the first item on the agenda will be solidifying the ceasefire,” Salam said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

“We will raise the issue of halting the attacks, releasing prisoners, and setting a timetable for withdrawal in the negotiations, allowing for the return of displaced persons and reconstruction.”

Salam said the government sees negotiations as the opportunity to end the “state of conflict between Lebanon and Israel”.

Lebanon is “seeking American guarantees that will contribute to restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, he said, adding the government will be the “sole negotiating party on its behalf”.

Salam said the government remains “committed to restricting weapons to the state alone” – a comment that reflects Hezbollah’s military power.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghei has given a consistent message to local media in recent days on the negotiations with the US. He said that Iranian officials are seeking a permanent declared end to the war on all fronts. Tehran also wants guarantees that the war will not resume.

Iranian officials say Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is not negotiable, but that Tehran could reopen the strait if the US lifts the blockade.

Regarding the nuclear file, Iranian officials say they will not make any concessions regarding the country’s highly enriched uranium. Tehran is resisting US demands to hand over its enriched uranium stockpile and to dismantle its entire nuclear programme.

In a post on X, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says “Iranians never bow to pressure” and questioned whether the US actions were a crude pressure tactic or the result of “a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire”.

“Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the US opts for a reckless military adventure,” said Araghchi.

Araghchi also boasted that Iran’s missile inventory and launch capacity was at “120%” of pre-war levels, attaching a screenshot from a US newspaper report saying the CIA found Iran managed to retain more of its weaponry after the US-Israeli bombing campaign than previously thought.

The latest violence comes as Washington awaits a response from Tehran in negotiations to end the war. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he expects to hear from Iran later Friday.

The US military has struck two empty Iranian-flagged oil tankers it said were attempting to violate the ongoing US blockade by entering an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

US forces also disabled a third Iranian-flagged vessel on Wednesday, CENTCOM posted on social media.

“All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran.”

We’ve seen a significant increase in Israeli military activity here in southern Lebanon over the past 12 hours or so. Throughout the day, we’ve seen air and artillery strikes on towns and villages along the Mediterranean coast.

This is a very active front here in the south. Further east into Lebanese territory, there are ongoing strikes in and around Bint Jbeil as well as further east. Some of these strikes are turning out to be extremely deadly.

The town of Abbasiya was given an evacuation order. Four people, including two women, were killed and eight others injured in a strike on the nearby town of Toura. There were deadly strikes in other parts of the country, including one that targeted a motorcycle and killed two people, as well as another attack on a passing car, which killed three people and wounded a woman.

This gives you an idea of how deadly the situation is here. There has been a significant escalation compared to the past several days. Hezbollah has also said they’ve carried out at least five different operations, targeting Israeli troops inside Lebanese territory, as well as some cross-border attacks deep into Israeli territory.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health says at least 2,759 people have been killed and 8,512 others injured in Israeli attacks across the country since March 2.

US officials say they do not want to discuss what is happening in negotiations with Iran in public. What we do understand is that these negotiations are happening both indirectly, through Pakistani mediators, as well as occasionally directly.

We’ve heard words of optimism from many in the Trump administration, with one official saying this is the closest that we are to the end of the conflict since it began. President Trump has also sounded optimistic in recent days. He also pulled back “Project Freedom”, in what was a very short-term attempt by the US to organise shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

It would appear that there is an attempt to meet some kind of reciprocal arrangement, although Trump continues to insist on the red lines he says are included in the latest memorandum that has been delivered to Iran.

Israel arrested and assaulted a renowned local Palestinian activist at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday, local media reported.

Mohammad Abu al-Hummus was arrested at the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard near the Moroccan Gate, WAM News Agency said

Abu al-Hummus, an East Jerusalem community activist, has been repeatedly arrested by Israeli police, including an unprovoked attack in 2019 when he was beaten, choked and pepper-sprayed by officers after asking them not to park on private land.

Israel has enforced heavy restrictions on Muslim worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, in recent months.

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) claims that US forces are blocking the ships as part of its blockade of Iran.

“These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus,” CENTCOM claimed in a post on X.

A drone launched by Hezbollah has wounded two soldiers, one “severely”, in northern Israel, the army says in a statement.

Earlier, it said, a separate drone attack left one soldier moderately wounded in an area of southern Lebanon currently occupied by Israeli forces.

Clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continue to rage despite a “ceasefire” currently in effect in Lebanon.