Israel Rejects Lebanon Ceasefire During Washington Talks as 1 Soldier is Killed During Clashes
ISRAEL – During preliminary Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington on Tuesday, Tel Aviv rejected a Lebanon ceasefire, with Netanyahu reportedly using the talks as a tactic to buy time without stopping fighting while showing goodwill towards Trump, according to Haaretz newspaper, citing Israeli sources.
The sources expressed skepticism about the possibility of making progress in the planned talks.
The US State Department said in a statement on Monday evening that the talks will be held at the department’s headquarters in Washington on Tuesday evening.
The talks will include Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, Lebanese Ambassador Nada Muaawad, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa.
Lebanon has sought to obtain a commitment from Israel for a ceasefire during the talks, which have been criticized by Hezbollah.
Haaretz said the issue of disarming Hezbollah comes as a top priority for Israel, but it is unclear whether Tel Aviv intends to link any progress in the contacts to disarmament.
“Leiter will arrive at the talks under instructions not to agree to a ceasefire, which will make it extremely difficult to find common ground with the Lebanese side,” it added.
While the Lebanese government has begun implementing a plan to disarm Hezbollah, the group insists on keeping its weapons and argues that it is a “resistance movement” against Israel.
According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, a joint statement is expected from the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors after the meeting. No additional meetings have been scheduled for this week, it noted.
Israel has agreed to reduce and adjust its strikes in Lebanon in line with the negotiations, it claimed.
There was no official Israeli comment on the reports.
Israeli Soldier Killed in Southern Lebanon
One Israeli soldier was killed and three others were injured in clashes in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army said Tuesday.
The injured included one soldier in moderate condition and two with slight injuries, the army said.
The incident comes as Israel continues an expanded offensive in southern Lebanon following a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,089 people and wounded 6,762 others.
