A second day of Israel-Lebanon negotiations has begun in Washington on Wednesday, a US State Department official told The Jerusalem Post.
According to the official, the goal of the talks is to “continue to advance a comprehensive peace and security between the two countries.”
Present at the talks are an Israeli delegation, headed by Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, and a Lebanese delegation led by Lebanese Ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Maawad, as well as former Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Simon Karam.
Hezbollah threat one of main issues to be discussed
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in Kuwait on Wednesday, emphasized that the threat posed by Hezbollah will be one of the main topics of discussion.
“The only reason Israel is in Lebanon is because Hezbollah launches rockets and drones from there,” Rubio stated. “If Hezbollah wasn't launching against them, they wouldn't be there.”
He expressed hope that, through the mechanisms established during the US-mediated talks, “the legitimate sovereign Lebanese government will continue to be able to control and secure more and more of their own territory.”
“The more of that area the Lebanese Armed Forces is able to secure, the less of it's in Hezbollah's control, the less Israel will be in Lebanon,” Rubio added.
Israeli, Lebanese delegations encountered sticking points during first day of talks
The fifth round of discussions between the two nations kicked off on Tuesday and focused on the creation of “pilot areas” in southern Lebanon from which IDF troops would withdraw, allowing Lebanese military forces to take their place.
US Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa reportedly told Lebanese news outlet Al-Jadeed TV that some difficulties arose on the first day of talks, but added that he hoped the sticking points would be resolved through further discussions.
According to an Axios report on Wednesday, the first day of talks ended with no progress. Two sources briefed on the negotiations told Axios that there was a sense that the discussions resulted in more regression than steps forward.
Before Tuesday’s talks started, Leiter expressed concern regarding the direction of the talks.
“This is the fifth round of talks, and I must say, we are heading toward a train wreck... that train is in danger of derailing,” he said.
He shared his worry that Iran-funded Hezbollah may be given “a new lease on life” under a recently signed US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, warning that it may allow Tehran to continue to funnel resources to the Lebanese terrorist group.
Tobias Holcman and James Genn contributed to this report.