Israel-Lebanon Talks to Take Place in Washington Next Week
he ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon during talks at the State Department in Washington, D.C., last June. File photo: Reuters
The United States has announced that a new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held in Washington D.C. next week. The US State Department confirmed this in a statement on Friday.
The announcement comes at a time when Israel and Hezbollah have declared a fresh ceasefire in Lebanon.
In Friday's statement, the State Department said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday and "emphasised that bilateral talks between Lebanon and Israel are the only realistic path to ending this cycle of violence."
It added that the two discussed the upcoming talks scheduled for June 23 and 25, noting that these discussions "will see two sovereign governments make progress toward a lasting peace."
Israel and Lebanon began bilateral talks last April. It marked the first meeting between the two countries since 1993. Following meetings in April and June, both nations announced a ceasefire. Hezbollah, however, was not involved in these talks. In the latest escalation, at least 47 people were killed in Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon since midnight. While a ceasefire is in place with Lebanon, Israel continues to be engaged in conflict with Hezbollah. (Source: Al Jazeera)
