The US will this week host the next round of Israeli-Lebanese talks towards a permanent ceasefire, the State Department confirmed on Monday.
The second round of ambassador-level talks will take place on Thursday, the department told The National.
The previous round featuring the ambassadors to the US of both countries, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, took place on April 14
The State Department said the US welcomes the “productive engagement” that began during the previous meeting, the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades.
“We will continue to facilitate direct, good-faith discussions between the two governments,” it said.
After the talks last week, Israel and Lebanon announced a 10-day ceasefire.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to the pause after fighting a devastating war for more than a year, after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Fighting resumed on March 2 this year after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel. The Tehran-backed group said it was avenging the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Israeli-US strikes, and responding to more than a year of ceasefire breaches, with near-daily Israeli violations recorded.
Israel retaliated with force that was described as “disproportionate” by EU and western officials, and civilians in Lebanon have paid the heaviest price. At least 2,165 people, including more than 170 children, have been killed since then, according to Lebanese authorities.
