Hello, ABC Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran here, writing to you from the Saudi capital, Riyadh. It's the end of day 46 of the war, day seven of the ceasefire (except in Lebanon) and day two of what the US is describing as its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Just last week, more than 300 people were killed in Lebanon when Israel said it attacked 100 different sites across the country in the space of just 10 minutes.
Israel insisted it was pursuing Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group which had opened fire on Israel in solidarity with Tehran five weeks earlier.
The number of civilians filling morgues and hospital emergency departments, particularly children killed and maimed in the strikes, marked another shocking point in the conflict.
And, it seemed to even rattle the White House, with Donald Trump telling the Israeli prime minister to "low-key it" — in other words, show some restraint.
A day later, Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would be prepared for his country to hold peace talks with the Lebanese government. That was something Israel had not only rejected, but flatly ridiculed, weeks earlier.
Its foreign ministry had spent the days prior posting memes on its social media accounts criticising the Lebanese government's weakness and inability to stand up to Hezbollah.
But the pressure from the US president was too much to ignore. And that's why talks between Israel and Lebanon, two countries which have technically been at war for decades, got underway in Washington DC — chaired by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
As with the talks on the broader Middle East conflict between the US and Iran, anyone expecting a sudden breakthrough and resolution of deep enmity will be sorely disappointed.
There is too much to wade through for that to happen.
Countries around the world have expressed their "deep concern" Lebanon had not been included in the regional ceasefire, which came into force last Wednesday, local time.
Overnight, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined her counterparts from 17 other countries, including the UK, France, Spain and Denmark, in urging Lebanon and Israel to "seize this opportunity".
"Direct negotiations can pave the way to bring lasting security for Lebanon and Israel as well as the region. We stand ready to support them," they said.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the attacks of Hezbollah against Israel which must cease immediately. We also condemn in the strongest terms the massive Israeli strikes on Lebanon."
But aside from strongly worded statements and condemnation, many concerned citizens — be they members of the Lebanese diaspora or otherwise — would be looking for action.
Italy has announced it has suspended a defence agreement with Israel, as the IDF continues attacking Lebanon.
The right-wing government of Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has been a backer of Israel, although it has criticised the country for its ongoing bombardment of Lebanon.
Italy's foreign minister summoned Israel's ambassador last week after Italian troops deployed to the UN peacekeeping force along the Israel-Lebanon border were fired upon.
It might be a small step, but perhaps it is the beginning of a shift in opinion and attitude.
Still, it won't allay the concerns or expectations of many in the community — and a ceasefire itself is still not on the cards, given Israel's refusal to countenance that at this point and Hezbollah's insistence it will not abide by any deal struck in the talks.
Thanks for joining me. You can keep track of the latest updates from Iran and around the world throughout the day via our live blog.
