Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to hold direct in-person talks Tuesday in Washington to find a diplomatic solution to Israel’s war with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The meeting will be held at the State Department building, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking part in the negotiations. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad are expected to lead their respective parties.
The talks will be the first in-person negotiations between the two nations since the Oslo Accords process in the early-to-mid 1990s.
However, the two sides are deeply divided on goals. Lebanon wants Israel to agree to a ceasefire, during which diplomats could begin negotiations to reach a comprehensive peace agreement. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday in a statement that his nation is looking for a “sustainable solution” to the conflict that isn’t “one-sided.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire and has insisted that Israel will continue its efforts to destroy Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
The Lebanese government does not control Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed political organization with a paramilitary wing, and cannot guarantee that the organization would adhere to any terms agreed to at Tuesday’s meeting.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday called on Lebanon to cancel the scheduled talks, arguing that agreeing to meet with Israel would be the same as “capitulation and surrender.”
The war between Hezbollah and Israel has raged for nearly a month after the militant group launched missiles and drone attacks on Israeli targets in support of Iran. The Israeli military says Hezbollah has launched more than 6,500 missiles and drones over the last month.
Israel’s military campaign in response to Hezbollah’s attacks has devastated Lebanon. At least 2,000 people have been killed and more than 6,700 have been injured as of this week, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. Israeli strikes have displaced nearly 1 million people, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Israel’s assault on Lebanon also threatens a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire initiated last week. Iran insists that the agreement, brokered by Pakistan, includes Lebanon and has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the ceasefire.
