Lebanese and Israeli military leaders met at the Pentagon on Friday for a new round of US-backed talks that come amid a deepening security crisis.
The neighbouring countries recently agreed to extend a ceasefire by 45 days, but Iran-supported Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is not part of the deal and violence has surged across Lebanon in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday announced that Israeli forces have advanced to positions north of Lebanon's Litani River, as Hezbollah continues to strike Israeli troops and northern Israel.
The push further into Lebanon to attack Hezbollah comes after the Israeli army on Thursday struck Beirut's southern suburbs and declared its warplanes were “operating non-stop” over the country.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday and commended him on his “courage and vision” in pursuing direct negotiations with Israel.
Mr Rubio said Hezbollah is “entirely responsible” for the continuing violence and stressed the need for the group to “immediately cease its attacks and provocations to enable de-escalation”, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
Friday's Pentagon meetings mark the fourth time Israeli and Lebanese officials have met in Washington and their first military talks, which are separate but parallel to a diplomatic track at the State Department and White House.
US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Elbridge Colby hosted the military delegations, which engaged in “productive” talks focused on building “practical frameworks for regional security and stability", the Pentagon said.
“The progress and tangible outcomes from these discussions will directly inform the Department of State-led political track, which is scheduled to reconvene next week,” it added.
The Pentagon “supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, free of armed non-state actors, and welcomes the commitment of both militaries to these historic efforts”, it added.
Hezbollah is not part of the talks but is continuing to assert itself through threats to Lebanese negotiators.
Michael Rubin, director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum, said that as long as Hezbollah maintains heavy weapons and troops, any ceasefire is illusionary.
He said Israeli advances into Lebanon establish “diplomatic chits” that Israel can bargain away in exchange for the Lebanese Armed Forces stepping up to disarm Hezbollah.
“That said, occupying any population in southern Lebanon is a gift to Hezbollah, and Israel risks snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,” Mr Rubin told The National.
Lebanon’s primary objective is for Israeli forces to leave its territory, while Israel wants Hezbollah disarmed and removed from its northern border.
Further complicating matters is a separate push for a deal between the US and Iran. Tehran wants the situation in Lebanon to be included in any deal with Washington.
