War in the Middle East: planned talks in Islamabad, deaths in southern Lebanon… What to remember from Friday, April 24th.

A resumption of talks between the United States and Iran to end the war is looming. On Friday, April 24, negotiators from both sides were sent to Islamabad, without a guarantee of direct discussions, two weeks after the failure of a previous attempt. Franceinfo summarizes the key information from this day.

Talks are planned in Islamabad

A resumption of peace negotiations? The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad on Friday evening for negotiations between Iran and the United States aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, announced the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without directly mentioning the resumption of direct discussions with American envoys.

From the American side, “I confirm that Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will again depart for Pakistan [Saturday] morning for talks (…) with representatives of the Iranian delegation,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. She also stated that Vice President JD Vance is not expected to be part of the trip this time but could join later if there is progress.

Israeli strikes kill six in Lebanon

On the Lebanese front, the ceasefire, extended for three weeks by Donald Trump on Thursday evening, is already being severely tested. On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of “sabotaging” peace efforts: “We started a process to achieve a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it seems clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage it,” he asserted. Lebanese authorities “must (…) withdraw from the so-called direct negotiations” with Israelis, said Mohammad Raad, the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc leader.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes have killed six and “injured two others,” according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The Israeli army, on the other hand, stated that its soldiers had killed six Hezbollah members during exchanges of fire after claiming that the pro-Iranian movement had shot down one of its drones.

EU calls for immediate reopening of Strait of Hormuz

With limited leverage facing the war in the Middle East, Europeans attempted to promote de-escalation on Friday by hosting in Cyprus the presidents of Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and the Crown Prince of Jordan.

The meeting first served to reaffirm their “unwavering support for Lebanon and its sovereignty,” said European Council President Antonio Costa. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun highlighted the “considerable humanitarian and economic challenges” facing his country, which had not “yet recovered from successive crises” when this new war began.

Antonio Costa also called on Iran to immediately and “unconditionally” reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “It is vital for the entire world,” he emphasized.