Lebanon-Israel talks kick off as fighting continues

A third round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon began in Washington, D.C., days before the end of a ceasefire that reduced but did not stop fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Lebanese officials hope the two days of talks will lead to a new ceasefire agreement and pave the way for resolving a number of thorny issues, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

US President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing for a breakthrough between the two neighbors, who have been officially at war since Israel’s founding in 1948.

However, Hezbollah is not part of these talks and is openly opposed to Lebanon starting direct negotiations with Israel.

Israel and Hezbollah have continued to open near-constant fire along the border despite a US-brokered ceasefire on April 17.

Initially a 10-day ceasefire, it was later extended for another three weeks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who attended the first Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington DC in April, was with Trump on his visit to China and did not attend Thursday’s session.

The current round of talks represents a step towards more serious talks involving high-level envoys from Lebanon and Israel, following initial preparatory sessions led by the two countries’ ambassadors to the United States.

The Lebanese envoy chairing Thursday’s talks, Simon Karam, is a lawyer and Lebanon’s well-connected former ambassador to the United States who recently represented Lebanon in indirect talks with Israel over the implementation of a ceasefire that preceded the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.

On the Israeli side, Deputy National Security Advisor Yossi Draznin was planned to attend.

There are still large gaps in what the two sides expect from direct talks.

Israeli officials focused on disarming Hezbollah and described the negotiations as a precursor to the potential normalization of diplomatic relations.

Lebanese officials have said they are seeking a security agreement or ceasefire that would halt normalization.

While Trump publicly called for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Aoun refused to meet or speak directly with Netanyahu at this stage.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported on Wednesday that 22 people, including eight children, had died in Israeli attacks, while a senior Lebanese official said the Lebanese delegation would seek “a ceasefire that Israel would implement.”

The Israeli military said an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah crashed into Israeli territory near the border, injuring several Israeli civilians.

Israel keeps its troops in a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon, which it says is intended to protect northern Israel from attack by Hezbollah, which has fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel during the war.

The Israeli army announced on Thursday that it carried out a new wave of attacks on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah said it launched 17 attacks on Israeli troops in the south on Wednesday.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says 2,896 people have been killed since the war began on March 2 (including nearly 400 since the implementation of the so-called ceasefire) and 8,824 injured.

18 Israeli soldiers were killed on the Israeli side, two Israeli civilians inside Israel, and a defense contractor working in southern Lebanon.

via Reuters