Lebanon and Israel to meet over Israel-Hezbollah war
Lebanon and Israel are set to hold the first direct diplomatic talks in Washington in decades, following more than a month of war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group that has convulsed the small Mediterranean country.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend meetings with Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad in Washington.
The health ministry announced that at least 2089 people died and 6762 people were injured in Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
More than a million people were displaced.
The Lebanese government hopes the talks will pave the way for an end to the war.
While Iran requires an end to the wars in Lebanon and the region as a condition for negotiations with the United States, Lebanon insists on representing itself.
The Israeli army continues its occupation of southern Lebanon, which some Israeli officials say aims to create a “security zone” of about 30 kilometers from the border to the Litani River.
Although Iran-backed Hezbollah has been weakened in its latest war with Israel, which ends in November 2024, it still fires drones, rockets and artillery daily at northern Israel and ground troops in Lebanon.
A US State Department official said the Israeli and Lebanese governments met to discuss ways to ensure long-term security on Israel’s northern border and support for Lebanon as it seeks control of its territory and political future from Hezbollah.
This will be the first meeting of the two since 1993.
Criticizing Hezbollah’s decision to fire rockets at Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, Lebanon’s top political authorities immediately proposed direct talks to stem tensions, hoping that Israel would not launch a ground invasion.
Israel did not respond positively until last week, after it launched 100 attacks across the country, including in the heart of the Lebanese capital.
Beirut wants a ceasefire as a precondition for talks, similar to those between the United States and Iran mediated by Pakistan.
“Israel’s destruction of Lebanese territory is not the solution and will not produce any results,” President Joseph Aoun, who came to power promising to disarm non-state groups including Hezbollah, said Monday.
Israel rejected the ceasefire.
“We will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which continues to carry out indiscriminate attacks against Israel and our civilians,” Shosh Bedrosyan, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement on Monday.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Kassem gave an impassioned speech urging Lebanon to cancel the talks.
Hezbollah wants to return to the 2024 agreement, under which talks were conducted indirectly as mediators with the United States, France and the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.
