Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected next week in Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter, a day after deadly Israeli strikes targeted several areas simultaneously around the country and pounding the capital, Beirut.
"We can confirm that the Department will host a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon," the US official told AFP.
The announcement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had approved direct talks focused on disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Netanyahu said there is no ceasefire in Lebanon and his country will keep striking Hezbollah.
According to several Israeli media outlets, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, is expected to lead the negotiations on behalf of the Israeli side.
Quoted by his office, Netanyahu said: “Following Lebanon’s repeated requests to begin direct negotiations with Israel, I gave my instructions yesterday to engage in direct talks with Lebanon as soon as possible”.
He added that the negotiations will address the disarmament of Hezbollah and the establishment of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon.
But a Lebanese government official said on Thursday that Lebanon seeks a ceasefire before the onset of negotiations with Israel.
Meanwhile a Hezbollah lawmaker confirmed the party’s rejection of any direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, calling instead for an Israeli withdrawal from the south of the country.
New Strikes
Previously, Netanyahu had affirmed that strikes against “Hezbollah” would continue “wherever necessary” until security is fully restored for residents of northern Israel.
On Thursday evening, the Israel army said it struck Hezbollah rocket launch platforms in Lebanon.
Two days after a US-Iran ceasefire, the international community fears that the truce could be undermined by the continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
In Beirut, rescue teams are still searching through the rubble for victims of the simultaneous strikes carried out by Israel on several areas on Wednesday. The strikes left more than 300 dead and over 1,100 injured, according to Lebanese authorities.
In southern Lebanon, strikes killed at least five people, while Hezbollah announced that its fighters are engaged in direct confrontations with Israeli forces in the area.
The Israeli army again warned residents of several neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate ahead of new airstrikes.
The US-Iran ceasefire is faltering after Israel pounded Beirut and as Iran maintains its grip on the Strait of Hormuz while truce talks remain uncertain.
Both Tehran and Washington are claiming victory and exerting pressure, with talks on a permanent deal set to begin soon in Islamabad and US Vice President JD Vance set to lead the US delegation.
Israeli strikes made Wednesday the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began, with more than 300 people killed. There are lingering disagreements over whether the ceasefire covers the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Iran is warning of “STRONG responses” if attacks on its militant ally don’t stop.
