US officials said on Wednesday that talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington were progressing positively, despite the continuing war in Lebanon, where recent Israeli attacks killed and injured health workers.
Delegations from Israel and Lebanon met at the State Department on Tuesday for the fourth round of direct talks held under US auspices. Another round is scheduled for Wednesday.
Tommy Pigott, the State Department spokesman, said that "progress continues on the political and security tracks as we break from the failures of the past 20 years and advance towards a comprehensive agreement aimed at restoring Lebanon's sovereignty and ensuring Israel's security".
The US "remains fully committed to facilitating these historic negotiations", he added.
The US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, told reporters after the conclusion of the talks in Washington that "there is optimism regarding these discussions, and they are progressing well".
Asked whether a ceasefire had been agreed, he said: "The ceasefire was announced yesterday and remains in effect so far." He added that US President Donald Trump had not communicated directly with Hezbollah, but rather with Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Mouawad.
On the ground in southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes continued to claim lives, while Iran-backed Hezbollah announced fresh attacks on invading Israeli troops inside the country.
Five people were killed and 48 wounded, including a doctor and healthcare workers at Tebnine Governmental Hospital, in Israeli strikes, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health said. The casualties included a child. The ministry said the strike on the hospital was part of a series of attacks on hospitals and healthcare centres that violated international laws and norms.
Israel halted a planned attack on Beirut on Monday after Iran threatened to end negotiations with the US if the Lebanese capital was targeted. The episode underscored how closely Lebanon's fate has become intertwined with US-Iran diplomacy amid the Israel-Hezbollah war.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel had US approval to strike Beirut's southern suburbs if Hezbollah launched attacks on northern Israeli communities, echoing the position outlined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his phone call with Mr Trump.
