Washington, United States. Lebanon will demand that Israel implement a ceasefire at face-to-face talks in Washington on Thursday, a senior Lebanese official said, as Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah continued to exchange attacks despite a U.S.-backed truce declared last month.
Talks amid ongoing hostilities
The talks between Lebanese and Israeli envoys will be the third meeting since hostilities reignited between Hezbollah and Israel on March 2. Beirut is attending despite strong objections from Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah.
Fought in parallel to the U.S.-Iran conflict, the Hezbollah-Israel war has continued since U.S. President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire on April 16, though hostilities have largely been contained to southern Lebanon since then. The ceasefire is due to expire on Sunday.
Casualties and competing claims
Lebanon’s health ministry reported 22 people killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday, including eight children. The senior Lebanese official said the Lebanese delegation would seek “a ceasefire that Israel implements”.
The Israeli military said an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah fell within Israeli territory near the border and injured several Israeli civilians.
Military actions and security zone
Israel has kept troops in a self-declared security zone in south Lebanon, saying this aims to shield northern Israel from attack by Hezbollah, which fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel during the war.
The Israeli military said it carried out a new wave of attacks on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Hezbollah said it carried out 17 attacks on Israeli troops in the south on Wednesday.
Lebanon’s internal divisions over Hezbollah
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s decision to pursue the talks reflects deep divisions in Lebanon over Hezbollah, founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982. The Beirut government has sought its disarmament since last year.
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