The United States has announced that a new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place in Washington, DC, next week as efforts continue to maintain a ceasefire and push for a long-term peace agreement.
The announcement from the US State Department came shortly after Israel and Hezbollah said a new ceasefire had been reached in Lebanon, following renewed fighting that threatened to disrupt a US-Iran agreement aimed at ending the conflict.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday, saying negotiations between Lebanon and Israel were the only practical way toward reconstruction, economic recovery, and ending repeated cycles of violence.
The talks are scheduled for June 23 and 25, with both governments expected to discuss steps toward a lasting peace.
Israel and Lebanon held their first direct talks in April, marking the first official meetings between the two countries since 1993. Further discussions were held in June, leading to temporary pauses in fighting.
However, Hezbollah has not been included in the talks, making progress more difficult. The group and Israel have continued exchanging attacks, with Israeli strikes killing at least 47 people in southern Lebanon since midnight.
Lebanon has also been calling for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while working on a US-backed plan involving the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The ongoing clashes have created challenges for the US-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the wider conflict, prompting criticism of Israel from US President Donald Trump.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei accused Israel of seeking a “permanent war.”
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