A source in the negotiation team told Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) that Ambassador Yechiel Leiter asked the Americans to halt the talks about three hours before their scheduled conclusion, citing repeated and tendentious leaks from the Lebanese delegation. The negotiations are expected to resume tomorrow.
Ambassador Yechiel Leiter intervened to pause the fifth round of US-mediated Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Washington on Wednesday, according to a source in the delegation. The source told Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) that Leiter asked the American hosts to suspend the talks roughly three hours before they were slated to conclude, accusing the Lebanese delegation of repeated and tendentious leaks.
As The Zioneer has reported, the fifth round has been marked by deep disagreements over the nature of any agreement—Lebanon pushes for a broad 'intent declaration' while Israel demands a binding accord—and over the sequencing of an IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Leiter had previously warned publicly that the US approach was a 'train wreck.'
The talks are expected to resume Thursday. It remains unclear whether the suspension will affect the broader diplomatic track or the parallel US-Iran talks in Switzerland.
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