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The US announced that Israel and Lebanon will resume negotiations in Washington on May 14-15 amid renewed cross-border tensions. The talks come as Hezbollah launched missiles at an Israeli military base following fresh Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (R)(Wires)As tensions escalate in the Middle East, with Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah resuming strikes, the US State Department on Friday (local time) announced that Tel Aviv and Beirut will resume negotiations in Washington on May 14 and 15.
In a press release, the US State Department said, "Building on the April 23 round, which was led personally by President Trump, both delegations will engage in detailed discussions aimed at advancing a comprehensive peace and security agreement that substantively addresses the core concerns of both countries. These talks aim to break decisively from the failed approach of the past two decades, which allowed terrorist groups to entrench and enrich themselves, undermine the authority of the Lebanese state, and endanger Israel’s northern border."
Negotiations to ensure lasting peace: US State Department
The department added that the discussions will focus on building a framework to ensure lasting peace and security arrangements, the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty throughout its territory, the delineation of borders, and creating concrete pathways for humanitarian relief and reconstruction in Lebanon.
Welcoming the commitment of both the Israeli and Lebanese governments, Washington noted that comprehensive peace is contingent on the full restoration of Lebanese state authority and the complete disarmament of Hezbollah, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Hezbollah launches missiles at an Israeli military base
The developments come as Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, launched a wave of missiles at a military base in Israel on Friday (local time) in response to Israeli attacks that killed a top commander of its Radwar Force on Wednesday. Lebanese authorities reported that five people, including a rescuer, were killed in fresh Israeli strikes, AFP reported.
In a statement, the group said the missiles targeted a base south of the Israeli city of Nahariya "in response to the Israeli enemy's violation of the ceasefire, the targeting of Beirut's southern suburbs, and the attacks that affected villages and civilians in southern Lebanon".
Lebanese PM commits to negotiations for peace
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, on Friday, said that the country's government is committed to ensuring that weapons are solely in the hands of the state, in accordance with the decisions of the Lebanese government, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Salam noted that he believed negotiations between the two sides could end the conflict, adding that Beirut would propose an end to Tel Aviv's strikes on the region, the release of prisoners, and a phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
US Secretary of State on disarming Hezbollah
Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised the importance of disarming Hezbollah. Speaking to reporters, Rubio said, "We want the relations between Israel and Lebanon, its legitimate government, to be very strong. The impediment to that is Hezbollah."
Elaborating further, he said that Washington aims to empower the Lebanese government to be able to deal with Hezbollah and its persistent threats, and called on other countries to help Beirut's government cut off Hezbollah's financing.
"We all share the same goal, which is a strong Lebanese government that doesn't have an armed Hezbollah operating within its national territory," Rubio stated.
Hezbollah draws Lebanon into Middle East war
According to reports, Hezbollah entered the wider Middle East conflict on March 2, shortly after the US and Israel launched military operations against its ally, Iran. The group carried out attacks on Israel in solidarity with Tehran.
Since then, Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have reportedly killed over 2,700 people and forced more than a million residents to flee, especially from southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Key Takeaways
- The US is actively mediating peace talks to stabilize the Israel-Lebanon conflict amid rising tensions.
- Hezbollah's military actions are a direct response to Israeli strikes, complicating the peace process.
- Long-term stability in the region depends on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the empowerment of the Lebanese government.
English (US) ·