The Israeli Embassy in Washington says the fifth round of U.S.-mediated Israel-Lebanon negotiations has begun at the State Department. Talks will run simultaneously on political and military tracks, building on previous rounds addressing Hezbollah disarmament and an IDF withdrawal timetable from southern Lebanon.
The fifth round of U.S.-mediated negotiations between Israel and Lebanon officially opened Tuesday at the State Department in Washington, with the Israeli Embassy confirming the start of simultaneous political and military tracks. The talks began Tuesday afternoon, following the Lebanese delegation's arrival earlier in the day (as reported at 16:09 Jerusalem).
The current round is the latest in a thread The Zioneer has tracked since the initial report of a new round on Tuesday morning (at 09:53 Jerusalem), which noted the talks would last through Thursday. Earlier on Monday, at 20:28 Jerusalem, the desk reported that the talks would address Hezbollah disarmament and an IDF withdrawal timetable, with a dispute over pilot-zone locations reported by i24NEWS. The fourth round, in late May, yielded only 'modest progress' on pilot-zone definitions, per the State Department. Source quality evolved from a single report last week to multiple confirmations today (Israeli Embassy, Lebanese delegation arrival).
As The Zioneer reported on June 13 (03:29 Jerusalem), a Lebanese source told Al-Mayadeen the round would occur on June 22. Later, on June 18 (18:31 Jerusalem), Lebanese officials told Al-Hadath the round is 'critical for a permanent ceasefire' and stressed no backtracking on Hezbollah disarmament and Lebanese army deployment in southern Lebanon. On June 3, Al-Hadath reported improved atmosphere and U.S. hopes for a joint statement and action plan.
What remains open: the pilot-zone dispute over where the Lebanese army deploys first — Lebanon seeks areas where the IDF is still present, Israel prefers areas where it is not — and whether this round can advance beyond the modest progress of its predecessor.
9 developments
- DevelopingReport: Fifth round of Lebanon-Israel border talks to open in Washington on June 22
- StrongLebanese sources: fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks set for June 23, focus on permanent ceasefire
- DevelopingIsrael and Lebanon set for next round of talks as Trump urges 'softer touch' toward Hezbollah
- StrongPresident Herzog: Israel-Lebanon talks resume Monday in Washington; Hezbollah disarmament must be part of any deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake