Lebanon, Israel hold fresh talks in Washington as ceasefire nears expiry
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Lebanon and Israel held a new round of peace talks in Washington on Thursday as their current ceasefire agreement approached its scheduled end on Sunday.
The discussions took place at the US State Department amid continuing violence along the Israel-Lebanon border despite the truce remaining officially in place.
The Israeli military said it carried out strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon after issuing evacuation warnings to residents in several areas. It also said a Hezbollah drone crashed inside Israeli territory, injuring several civilians.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli airstrikes in areas beyond those covered by evacuation notices. The Lebanese health ministry said strikes on Wednesday killed 22 people, including eight children.
The current ceasefire began on April 17 after weeks of conflict triggered when Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes earlier this year.
US President Donald Trump had announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire after earlier talks at the White House in April and expressed hope for a historic summit involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The meeting did not take place.
Lebanese officials said Beirut’s priority in the talks was to secure a stronger ceasefire and stop ongoing attacks.
Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar criticised the direct talks, calling them “free concessions” to Israel.
The United States has backed Lebanon’s commitment to extend state authority across the country and pursue the disarmament of Hezbollah. A State Department statement said lasting peace depended on restoring full Lebanese state control and completely disarming the group.
The talks are the third round of discussions between Lebanon and Israel, which do not have formal diplomatic relations.
