US-brokered negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began this week in Washington. This comes after at least 1,500 Lebanese have been killed in Israeli strikes since March and more than one million remain displaced.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has continued to launch attacks towards Israel since it entered the Iran war weeks ago.
The meeting is the first time the two governments have engaged in high-level talks since 1993 and is expected to set the agenda for future discussions.
Lebanese officials want an end to the Israeli strikes and financial support for reconstruction. Israel wants Hezbollah disarmed but this has already proven a near-impossible task for Lebanon’s government.
The question is, what leverage does the country have in the face of constant Israeli bombardment, crushing humanitarian and economic burdens, and a Hezbollah that still clings on to power?
In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Mohamad Ali Harisi, foreign editor of The National, hosts a live discussion on the truce talks and the human toll. He is joined by Lebanon correspondents Nada Maucourant Atallah and Nada Homsi, and Europe correspondent Sunniva Rose. He also speaks to Paul Salem, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.
