Published 21.36
Israel and Lebanon will meet in Washington for peace talks next week, the US State Department says.
According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tommy Pigot, the negotiation round, which is planned to last from June 23-25, represents an opportunity to “make progress on the road to lasting peace”.
The announcement about the negotiations comes after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday.
There, Aoun underlined that a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon is of utmost importance for the talks with Israel to progress, while Rubio repeated the demand that Lebanon must continue to try to disarm the Shia militia Hezbollah.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s military confirmed that it had reached an agreement with Hezbollah on a ceasefire.
Direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon have been ongoing since mid-April.
