A new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held next week in Washington, USA. This information was given in a statement given by the US State Department on Friday. At the same time, both sides announced that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a new ceasefire.
According to the statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun by telephone. At that time, he said, Lebanon’s bilateral talks with Israel are the only effective way for the country’s reconstruction, economic recovery and cessation of violence.
The statement also said that in the meeting to be held on June 23 and 25, the governments of the two countries will try to achieve progress in order to establish long-term peace.
Earlier in April of this year, Israel and Lebanon held direct talks. This was the first formal meeting between the two countries since 1993. Later, after another round of meetings in June, both sides announced a ceasefire.
However, analysts believe that significant progress has not been made in the peace process as the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has not been included in the talks. Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange attacks in recent months. In the latest conflict, at least 47 people were killed in Israeli attacks in various areas of Lebanon.
Following the signing of a cease-fire agreement in November 2024, the Lebanese government undertook to disarm Hezbollah under a US-backed roadmap. At the same time, the country has been demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the southern region. But a deal reached in June called for Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River, but did not mention Israel’s full troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the recently signed ceasefire memorandum (MoU) between the US and Iran includes a commitment to protect Lebanon’s geographical integrity and sovereignty.
But the ongoing conflict in Lebanon has stood in the way of implementing that agreement. In this situation, US President Donald Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s actions.
On the other hand, the spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baghai, complained that Israel wants to maintain a “permanent state of war” in the Middle East.
Source: Al Jazeera
Times BD/RA
