The United States will facilitate a second round of diplomatic discussions between Lebanese and Israeli representatives this Thursday, as Lebanon pushes to extend the current ceasefire agreement with Israel and Hezbollah before it expires this Sunday.
The diplomatic meeting follows a deadly escalation on Wednesday when Israeli military operations resulted in the deaths of at least five individuals, including Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, according to senior Lebanese military sources and her news organization, Al-Akhbar newspaper.
Wednesday represented the most lethal day since the US-brokered truce took effect on April 16, despite the agreement leading to a notable decrease in overall hostilities. However, military actions have persisted in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have established what they describe as a protective buffer zone.
The Iran-supported Hezbollah organization maintains it possesses “the right to resist” what it considers occupying military forces.
The current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel resumed on March 2, when the militant group launched attacks in solidarity with Tehran amid the broader regional conflict. This Lebanese ceasefire developed independently from Washington’s broader diplomatic efforts to address tensions with Iran, although Iranian officials had advocated for Lebanon’s inclusion in any comprehensive peace agreement.
In response to Israeli military strikes, Hezbollah announced it conducted four separate operations in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
Lebanese government statistics indicate that nearly 2,500 people have lost their lives in Lebanon since Israel launched its military response following Hezbollah’s March 2 assault.
Israeli forces currently control a southern Lebanese territory stretching 5 to 10 kilometers (3 to 6 miles) into the country, which Israeli officials say is necessary to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah rocket attacks. The militant group has launched hundreds of rockets throughout the conflict.
Despite strong opposition from Hezbollah, which was founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, the Lebanese government has established direct diplomatic communication with Israel.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced that Lebanon’s representative for Thursday’s Washington negotiations, US Ambassador Nada Moawad, will advocate for extending the ceasefire and stopping Israeli demolition activities in southern Lebanese villages.
A Lebanese government source indicated that Beirut views a ceasefire extension as essential before advancing to higher-level negotiations, where Lebanon would demand Israeli military withdrawal, the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel, and formal border demarcation.
Israeli negotiation goals include dismantling Hezbollah and establishing conditions for a lasting peace agreement. Israeli officials have attempted to find common ground with the Lebanese government regarding Hezbollah, which Beirut has been working to disarm through peaceful means over the past year.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will participate in Thursday’s meeting, while Israel will send its Washington ambassador, Yechiel Leiter.
Rubio previously facilitated the initial meeting between Leiter and Moawad on April 14, marking the most significant diplomatic contact between Lebanon and Israel in decades.
The United States has rejected any connection between its Lebanon mediation efforts and separate diplomatic initiatives regarding the Iran conflict.
Hezbollah claims the Lebanese ceasefire resulted from Iranian influence rather than American diplomatic intervention.
President Aoun has outlined objectives including ending Israeli military operations against Lebanon and securing the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
