Israel-Hamas talks to continue after weekend meetings fail to resolve differences | News, Sports, Jobs

A man looks out of a damaged window of a house after an attack from Lebanon on the northern Israeli city of Acre on Sunday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

JERUSALEM (AP) — A round of high-level talks in Cairo aimed at reaching a cease-fire and a hostage deal to bring at least a temporary end to the 10-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza ended Sunday without a final agreement, a U.S. official said. But the talks will continue at lower levels in the coming days to bridge remaining differences.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said lower levels “work teams” US President Donald Trump will remain in Cairo to meet with mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt in hopes of resolving remaining disagreements. The official described the recent talks, which began in Cairo on Thursday and continued through Sunday, as “constructive” and said all parties were working to “reach a final and enforceable agreement.”

The talks brought together CIA Director William Burns and the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea. A Hamas delegation was briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, but did not take part directly in the negotiations.

The development comes after Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire early Sunday morning but stopped short of triggering a widely feared all-out war, with both sides signaling their most intense exchange in months was over.

Hezbollah claimed to have struck an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv as part of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, and Israel said its dozens of strikes were preemptive to avoid a larger attack. Neither provided evidence.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the attack, a response to Israel's assassination of a senior militant commander in Beirut last month, was delayed to give ceasefire negotiations in Gaza a chance, and so other Iran-backed groups could discuss with Tehran a possible simultaneous attack on Israel. The Israeli and American military buildup also played a role.

“We now reserve the right to respond later.” If the results of Sunday's attack are not enough, Nasrallah said, adding that the Houthi-allied rebels in Yemen – and Iran itself – have not yet responded. But he told the Lebanese people: “At this point, the country can take a breath and relax.”

Israel and Hezbollah said they had only targeted military targets. Israel said no military targets were hit by Hezbollah, but that one of its navy personnel was killed and two others wounded either by an interceptor or by shrapnel from one of its aircraft. Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, both groups said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had eliminated thousands of rockets targeting northern Israel and shot down drones heading toward the center of the country.

“I repeat, this is not the end of the story,” he added.

Flights diverted due to air raid sirens

Air raid sirens were reported across northern Israel, and Israel's international airport was closed and flights diverted for about an hour.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that about 100 Israeli aircraft struck 270 targets, 90 percent of which were rocket launchers aimed at northern Israel. He said they were investigating the percentage of rockets and drones intercepted, but said the “vast majority” were thwarted.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets targeting several sites in Israel and a “large number” drones.

Some Israelis were shocked. In the northern city of Acre, Saadia Even Tsur, a 76-year-old retired teacher, said he was at synagogue and arrived home five minutes after his room was damaged. “I went up and saw the magnitude of the miracle that happened to me” He said. A window was broken and debris was on the bed.

Lebanon's caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam said after an emergency cabinet meeting that those responsible were “I feel a little more optimistic” of a de-escalation after both sides confirmed that the operations had ended.

President Joe Biden was “closely follow events in Israel and Lebanon,” The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, and ordered the two U.S. carrier strike groups in the region to remain, according to National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett. The U.S. military has been building up its forces in the region in recent weeks.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown arrived in Israel Sunday night for meetings on what the Israeli military has called “joint preparations in the region as part of the response to threats in the Middle East.”

Total war seems averted for now

Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah could try to “balancing the equation without degenerating into war.” Each side hopes its narrative will be enough to allow it to declare victory and avoid a wider confrontation, he said.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

Hezbollah, which fought a fierce battle with Israel in 2006, is now considered much more powerful. The United States and Israel estimate that it has some 150,000 rockets and is capable of striking anywhere in Israel. The group has also developed drones that can evade Israeli defenses, as well as precision-guided munitions.

Israel has vowed an overwhelming response to any major Hezbollah attack. It has a multi-layered missile defense system and is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year.

Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Israel has not said whether it was involved in the case.

Iranian state media exaggerated the Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but there was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

The United States and other mediators see a ceasefire in Gaza as essential to averting a broader war in the Middle East. Hezbollah has said it would halt its strikes against Israel if a ceasefire is reached.

The talks in Cairo on Sunday aimed to close gaps in the truce proposal and the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas. CIA Director William Burns and the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, took part in the discussions.

The Hamas delegation was briefed by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators but did not participate directly in the negotiations.

In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said it killed two people who allegedly tried to run over soldiers in Ariel, lightly wounding one of them.

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Madhani reported from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Associated Press reporters Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Alexis Triboulard in Acre, Israel.