Lebanon and Israel to hold new talks in the US as ceasefire deadline approaches
Kyiv • UNN
Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel regarding the extension of the truce are set to begin in Washington. During the current agreement, more than 400 people have already been killed.
Lebanon and Israel are set to begin new peace talks in Washington on Thursday, as the deadline for their latest truce—which is considered to be in effect despite hundreds of deaths from Israeli strikes—approaches its end. This was reported by AFP, according to UNN.
Details
Ahead of the talks, Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported that 22 people, including eight children, were killed on Wednesday as a result of intensified Israeli airstrikes.
According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA), strikes targeted approximately 40 sites in the south and east of the country.
The parties last met on April 23 at the White House, where US President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the truce and expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching a historic deal.
At the time, Trump boldly suggested that within the new truce period, he would host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Washington for the first-ever summit between the two countries.
However, the summit never took place: Aoun stated that a security agreement must be reached and Israeli attacks must cease before such a landmark meeting.
The truce, which came into effect on April 17, has been extended until Sunday.
However, according to AFP calculations based on data from Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes during the ceasefire have already claimed more than 400 lives.
Israel has vowed to continue attacks against Hezbollah—the Shia armed group and political movement supported by Iranian religious leaders—despite the truce.
Hezbollah launched a campaign of shelling Israel in response to the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the US-Israeli war on February 28.
"Anyone who threatens the State of Israel will die because of their actions," Netanyahu said last week following an Israeli strike in central Beirut that killed a high-ranking Hezbollah commander.
A Lebanese official told the publication that during the talks in Washington, the country would seek to "solidify the ceasefire regime."