Israel’s ceasefires with Hezbollah and Hamas are both in doubt again

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military says its forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon after Tuesday’s deadline for their withdrawal under a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group, as Lebanon’s government expressed frustration over another delay. A separate ceasefire in Gaza was also in doubt as the region marked 500 days of Israel’s war with Hamas, while Israel and the United States sent conflicting signals over whether they want the truce to continue. Talks on the ceasefire’s second phase are yet to start. Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis are still displaced.

Top Russian and American officials will hold talks on ending the Ukraine war without Kyiv

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The Kremlin says senior American and Russian officials will hold talks on improving their ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. It would be the most significant meeting between the sides since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor nearly three years ago. The talks are scheduled for Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. They mark another consequential step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia, and are meant to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. and Russian presidents. The moves have sent Kyiv and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won’t be favorable to them.

European leaders hold emergency talks, fearing that Trump has abandoned allies

PARIS (AP) — European leaders are seeking to form a united front at emergency talks in Paris, called after a U.S. diplomatic blitz on Ukraine which has thrown a once-solid alliance into turmoil and left the Europeans questioning the reliability of their key transatlantic partner. Shortly before the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump, but Macron’s office would not disclose details about the 20-minute discussion. European leaders have been stunned by a weeklong diplomatic blitz on Ukraine from the Trump administration that seemed to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its age-old European allies. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, underlined Monday that Europe has no place at the negotiating table.

Rwanda-backed rebels tighten their grip on a major city in eastern Congo

BUKAVU, Congo (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebels tightened their grip on Bukavu on Monday, a day after seizing the second major city in eastern Congo whose residents appeared resigned to their fate under the new rulers. On Sunday, M23 rebels captured the city of 1.3 million people after it was abandoned by Congolese forces. Bukavu lies 63 miles south of Goma, which was captured by the rebels in late January. The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern Congo’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that’s critical for much of the world’s technology. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts.