Lebanon and Israel Open Fifth Round of Washington Talks

Lebanon and Israel open a fifth round of direct negotiations Tuesday in Washington that is scheduled to last three days. The talks aim to address the conflict that began March 2 when Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran, triggering Israeli air and ground operations that have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon. Four prior rounds since April produced no durable ceasefire.

The latest lull in fighting began after Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding the prior week that requires an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. A de-confliction cell involving Lebanon was also agreed to monitor compliance.

Lebanese officials said they will press Israel for a reasonable timetable for withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Top Israeli officials have stated that troops will remain indefinitely. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said the purpose of the talks is disarming Hezbollah and achieving a genuine peace agreement. A Lebanese official described a fundamental problem of trust, stating that Beirut cannot fulfill Israeli demands while Israel rejects all Lebanese requests.

Hezbollah has rejected full disarmament and called on the Lebanese government to withdraw from the direct talks. Since 2025 the Lebanese government has sought to disarm Hezbollah without direct confrontation. -announced ceasefire.

Israeli air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs largely stopped after that announcement, though fighting continued in the south.