Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the US have set a date to meet next Tuesday in Washington, amid new reports of direct ceasefire negotiations between the two countries.
Details of the call, which took place late on Thursday, were announced by the Lebanese presidency.
Israel’s ambassador to Washington , Yahiel Leiter, confirmed that "formal peace negotiations" would commence, but that Israel refuses to discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed 357 people on Wednesday 8 April alone, according to an updated toll from the Lebanese Health Ministry. A total of 1,888 people have been killed since March 2, when Lebanon was pulled into the US-Israeli war on Iran. The ministry added that this was not yet a final toll as more victims are being found and teams are working to identify them.
"…Israel agreed to begin formal peace negotiations this coming Tuesday," Leiter said, adding however that “Israel refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to attack Israel and is the main obstacle to peace between the two countries".
The US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, will be leading the American delegation, while Nada Hamadeh-Moawad, the Lebanese ambassador to Washington will lead on the Lebanese side.
Lebanon is still reeling from deadly Israeli strikes, widespread destruction and displacement. Despite plans for direct talks, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Saturday that three people were killed after an Israeli air strike targeted a residential building in Mayfadoun, located in the Nabatieh district.
The bombardment comes amid reports that Washington and Beirut have called on Israel to halt the attacks before the talks. Axios and Reuters reported that the Lebanese government and Trump administration urged for a temporary halt to the hostilities, however, the White House is yet to confirm this.
Trump stated earlier this week that he called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back the bombardment, adding that the fierce strikes could make the truce between the US and Iran increasingly fragile.
Talks between the US and Iran are set to commence in Pakistan on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Tehran has repeatedly stated that any truce should include Lebanon, something Israel has rejected.
Trump has echoed Netanyahu’s claims that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire deal, which appears to contradict statements made by Iran and mediator Pakistan as well as earlier US statements.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, reiterated that Tehran would not engage in talks without a ceasefire in Lebanon, and also called for the release of frozen Iranian assets.
As Israel presses that Hezbollah will be excluded from talks, reports state that talks will instead likely focus on demands from the Lebanese state, including fully disarming and containing the Iran-backed group.