Washington, United States. U.S. President Donald Trump will greet Lebanese and Israeli envoys at the White House on Thursday as they meet for a second round of U.S.-facilitated talks, with Beirut seeking to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Talks moved from State Department to White House
A U.S. official said the talks, initially set to be hosted by the State Department, were being moved to the White House and that Trump would greet the ambassadors upon their arrival. A separate source briefed on the matter said the move signaled the importance being given to the discussions and expressed optimism about progress.
Ceasefire set to expire Sunday
The ceasefire, reached after talks between the two nations’ ambassadors to Washington last week and set to expire on Sunday, has yielded a significant reduction in violence. Attacks have continued in southern Lebanon, however, where Israeli troops have seized a self-declared buffer zone. Iran-backed Hezbollah has said it has “the right to resist” occupying forces.
Lebanon seeks extension and halt to demolitions
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S., Nada Moawad, would seek a ceasefire extension and a halt to demolitions by Israel in villages in the south. The Lebanese presidency said in a statement that recent contacts with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had focused on halting escalation and launching negotiations aimed at ending the state of war, securing Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territory and deploying the Lebanese army to the international border.
Reports of deadly incidents in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it killed two armed individuals in southern Lebanon after identifying them approaching soldiers and posing what it described as “an immediate threat.” It was not immediately clear whether the incident was related to strikes reported earlier in nearby areas by Lebanon’s health ministry, which said an Israeli air strike had killed three people and artillery shelling wounded two others, including a child.
Deadliest day since ceasefire began
The talks follow a day after Israeli strikes killed at least five people, including a journalist. Wednesday was Lebanon’s deadliest day since the ceasefire took effect on April 16.
What outcome do you expect from Thursday’s White House talks on extending the ceasefire?
