Representatives of Lebanon and Israel convened another round of diplomatic negotiations in Washington on Thursday, as the U.S. looks to facilitate a durable peace in the region while minimizing Hezbollah’s influence.
The two sides were expected to hold two rounds of negotiations at the State Department on Thursday and Friday, with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa and Michael Needham, an adviser to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting as intermediaries.
Lebanon is represented by its ambassador to the U.S., Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and former ambassador Simon Karam. Israel’s delegation is led by its ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, and former ambassador Ron Dermer.
The talks aim to bolster the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and consider how to disarm and contain Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant and political organization based in Lebanon.
Hezbollah is not party to the negotiations, and its leadership has repeatedly insisted that it would not abide by terms decided during the talks.
Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar said Thursday that the talks amount to “free concessions” to Israel.
Lebanon is hoping to secure terms for Israeli troop withdrawal and hammer out a timeline for the release of Lebanese prisoners.
Israel has said it has no immediate plans to withdraw troops and is interested mainly in disarming Hezbollah.
This week’s talks come amid increasing threats to the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, reached during last month’s negotiations. The two sides agreed to a three-week ceasefire on April 23, which was set to expire on Thursday.
But Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire over the past month. Just hours before discussions began in Washington, the Israeli military reported that a Hezbollah drone had exploded inside Israel, injuring three civilians.
Israel has struggled to defend against Hezbollah’s rocket and drone attacks since the war began in March, even as Israel Defense Forces troops advanced into southern Lebanon.
Israel has continued strikes in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire agreement, insisting that they are only targeting Hezbollah strongholds.
However, observers have noted that Israel’s forced displacement orders for wide swaths of southern Lebanon continue and that dozens of civilians, including medical workers, have been killed since the ceasefire began.
Israel’s assault on Lebanon has killed nearly 3,000 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. More than 1 million people have been displaced.
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