Israel And Lebanon Extend Ceasefire For 45 Days After U.S. Talks In Washington, DC

Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a shaky ceasefire for 45 days after two days of negotiations in Washington, DC, with the U.S. State Department saying the truce would be extended following talks concluded on Friday.

“Beirut, Lebanon – A new round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Thursday and Friday to save a fragile ceasefire – repeatedly ignored by Israel – which is set to expire on Sunday”

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli air strikes had killed 22 people, including eight children, across the south, while the state department said it would "reconvene the political track of negotiations" in June.

Al Jazeera

The Al Jazeera report said the new round of negotiations would take place on Thursday and Friday to save a fragile ceasefire set to expire on Sunday, and it described the process as the third time Lebanese and Israeli delegations meet face to face this year.

The Sky News Arabia report added that the extension of the ceasefire that began on April 16 by 45 days would allow for further progress, and it quoted U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Bigot saying the talks had been "very fruitful."

Al Jazeera said Lebanon’s direct negotiations are split between President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who support direct negotiations, and Hezbollah and their allies, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who prefer indirect talks.

The same Al Jazeera piece quoted Lebanese journalist and analyst Souhayb Jawhar writing that the president, prime minister and speaker of parliament "cannot agree upon a framework, or even an ultimate objective to the talks".

BBC

Al Jazeera also detailed the negotiators’ list, saying Lebanon would be led by Simon Karam and that Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, would be joined by Brigadier General Amichai Levin, head of the Israeli army’s Strategic Division.

In parallel, the Naharnet report said Nabih Berri told President Joseph Aoun in a phone call that Hezbollah would fully commit to a ceasefire if the Lebanese delegation secured a ceasefire commitment from the Israeli side, and it quoted the MTV framing that Berri wanted a halt to Israel’s demolition of homes in the south.

As the ceasefire extension was announced, the BBC said there have been almost daily reports of Hezbollah and Israel trading fire across the southern border of Lebanon since the ceasefire began, and it reported that at least 2,896 people have been killed in Lebanon since 2 March according to the health ministry.

“Lebanon: Despite the ceasefire in effect, Israel continues its strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon”

franceinfo

The Al Jazeera report said that on Wednesday eight people, including two children, were killed when Israeli drones targeted vehicles travelling along a key road linking southern Lebanon to the capital, Beirut, while another nine were killed in strikes elsewhere in the country.

Franceinfo reported that since April 17, when a ceasefire came into effect, the army has been destroying Hezbollah positions in the region, and it quoted Hassan Saleh, head of the cemetery committee, saying "Over the past month, 98 victims of this war have been laid to rest."

Franceinfo also said Lebanese health minister Rakan Nassereddine told the press that "the Israeli enemy never respects these places," as it described continued strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the burial toll tied to the war’s impact.