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The second day of negotiations between Israeli and Lebanese authorities is taking place in Washington, DC, despite the fact that Israel is attacking and violating the ceasefire in Lebanon.
All these representatives, including the ambassador of each country in the United States, arrived at the Department of State on Friday morning to continue negotiations, the third visit of direct negotiations between the two sides this year.
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“Helpful and encouraging” Thursday it went on for eight hours, a US official told Reuters, without elaborating on what was discussed.
It came as Israel launched a new offensive in Lebanon on Friday, killing at least seven people in the south, according to the Lebanese news agency NNA. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says 2,951 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since March 2, when the war between Israel and Hezbollah began.
Since then, Israel has lost 20 soldiers, including one soldier who was killed in fighting with Hezbollah on Friday.
Direct speech
There are few details on what was discussed on the first day of the closed-door talks, with a senior US official saying he hoped to share more after the meeting ends on Friday. Lebanese and Israeli officials have not commented.
Both sides are approaching the talks from different angles, with Lebanon insisting that Israel end its aggression and occupation of its territory. Israel is focused on disarming the Iranian-backed Hezbollah – and on a potentially sustainable alliance between the two countries.
Despite these differences, the talks are important, being face-to-face and the third round this year.
Lebanon has sent a special envoy of President Simon Karam, while Deputy National Security Advisor Yossi Draznin is there.
Even encouraged from US President Donald Trump, Lebanon has so far rejected a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Aoun stressed that a full settlement was not on the table, and that Lebanon wanted a ceasefire before negotiations could continue.
Lebanon’s president is treading carefully, seeking to balance US pressure with a desire to deter Israeli aggression without appearing to endorse Israel too much.
While some Lebanese would allow meetings between Lebanese and Israeli officials if they end the war, Hezbollah and its allies argue that the talks should be indirect.
The attack on Israel
Many in Lebanon see Israel’s continued offensive as evidence that it is not committed to ending the war, which has been raging since October 2023.
The most recent explosion occurred on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel following the US-Israeli assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel has already attacked Lebanon more than 10,000 times since a ceasefire in November 2024, killing nearly 400 people.
Israel has launched a devastating offensive in Lebanon since March, but finally agreed to end the US war on April 16, which is due to end on Sunday.
Despite the end of the war, the attacks in Lebanon did not stop.
Friday’s attacks included the killing of two people in an airstrike that shot down a car in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, with Mohammed Ahmed Abu Zaid and Jamal Noureddine receiving treatment. Three ambulances were destroyed in the attack, the Lebanese media reported.
Another drone attack in Harouf killed three people and two others died in Tabeen.
An Israeli attack in the province of Tire injured 37 people on Friday, according to the Ministry of Health.
Israel issued an evacuation order for five villages in southern Lebanon, saying it was targeting Hezbollah forces in the area. Hezbollah said it had carried out several attacks on Israel and Israeli forces in Lebanon, with several “drones” falling in northern Israel.
