Lebanon and Israel entered a third round of talks in Washington on Friday amid continued Israeli strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, fresh forced evacuation orders, and the killing of an Israeli soldier during clashes with Hezbollah .
Official Lebanese sources told The New Arab that Beirut is seeking a renewed extension of the ceasefire, alongside guarantees that any truce would be "complete and final" rather than "fragile and repeatedly violated" as it has been since coming into force on 17 April.
The talks, which mark the third round of negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv but with a higher level of representation, come as the US pushes for a broader security arrangement between the two sides.
The Lebanese side stressed during the Washington discussions "the necessity of a comprehensive and complete ceasefire" and demanded an end to Israeli bulldozing and destruction operations in southern Lebanon.
They also called for a full Israeli withdrawal, the release of prisoners, and the return of displaced civilians.
Israel, meanwhile, has maintained that its operations are aimed at removing threats against northern settlements and that it reserves the right to take military action against any "imminent or planned" attacks. Israeli officials have also insisted they will not fully withdraw while Hezbollah remains armed.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned that the success of the negotiations depended on a genuine halt to hostilities.
"The negotiations begin today at nine o’clock Washington time, and if a real ceasefire is not achieved, that means everything has collapsed," Berri told Lebanese newspaper Ad-Diyar .
Berri added that Lebanon would accept "nothing less than the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army, followed by reconstruction, the deployment of the Lebanese army, and the return of residents".
A US State Department official told The New Arab that direct communication between Lebanon and Israel represented the "best way" to quickly reach a lasting peace and security agreement, while accusing Hezbollah of attempting to obstruct negotiations through attacks and threats.
The diplomatic push unfolded alongside renewed violence on the ground.
The Israeli army announced on Friday that Sergeant First Class Negev Dagan, 20, had been killed "during the fighting in southern Lebanon", bringing the number of Israeli military personnel and contractors killed since the war on Lebanon resumed in March to 20.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, announced a series of overnight operations targeting Israeli forces and vehicles in southern Lebanon, including rocket attacks, artillery shelling, anti-tank missile strikes, and explosive devices targeting Israeli bulldozers and troop movements.
The group also said it had confronted Israeli aircraft and drones over southern Lebanon with surface-to-air missiles.
Israeli strikes continued across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, with Lebanon’s National News Agency reporting an airstrike on the outskirts of the towns of Froun and Ghandouriyeh in Bint Jbeil district overnight.
The Israeli army also issued urgent evacuation warnings for residents of Shabriha, Hamadiyeh, Zaqouq al-Mafdi, Maashouq and al-Housh in southern Lebanon, ordering civilians to immediately leave their homes and move at least 1,000 metres away into open areas.
The evacuation orders expanded a wave of displacement already affecting parts of southern and eastern Lebanon amid escalating bombardment.
Lebanese authorities and monitoring bodies say Israeli violations of the ceasefire have continued at a high rate.
A recent report by Lebanon’s National Centre for Natural Hazards and Early Warning and the National Council for Scientific Research documented 3,318 violations, alongside 2,324 airspace violations, between 17 April and 11 May.
Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereldine said earlier this week that more than 380 people had been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect.