US to Facilitate Lebanon-Israel Negotiations Next Week

Washington (ANTARA) - The United States will host direct talks between Israel and Lebanon next week as part of the ongoing ceasefire negotiations, a US State Department official confirmed to Anadolu.

“We can confirm that the Department will host a meeting next week to discuss the ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon,” the official said on Thursday (9/4).

According to media reports, the US delegation will be led by Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, with Israel represented by its Ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon by Ambassador Nada Hamadeh-Moawad.

Previously, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that the idea of a ceasefire with Israel, followed by direct negotiations, is gaining positive momentum at the international level.

The Israeli military has intensified airstrikes across Lebanon since Wednesday (8/4), killing at least 303 people and injuring 1,150 others, despite the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.

Meanwhile, mediators from Pakistan and Tehran stated that the ceasefire includes Lebanon, but Washington and Tel Aviv have denied this.

Israel’s deadly widespread attacks in Lebanon since 2 March have killed 1,888 people and injured 6,092 others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.