A US State Department official said that Israel and Lebanon will hold ceasefire talks in Washington next week.
According to AFP, a US State Department official said on the 9th: “We confirm that the State Department will host a meeting next week to discuss the ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.”
Hezbollah in Lebanon began intervening in the US-Israel-Iran war at the beginning of March. On the 8th, Israel launched its fiercest bombardment in over a month against Lebanon, causing hundreds of deaths. US and Iran talks will be held on the 11th in Pakistan. The ongoing fighting between Israel and Lebanon is heightening concerns among various countries over the possible collapse of the fragile US-Iran ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a video speech on the night of the 9th, saying he had instructed ministers to initiate direct talks with the Lebanese government to push for the disarmament of Hezbollah. However, Israel "has no ceasefire" in Lebanon and will "continue to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon with full force."
He said that given that the Lebanese government had repeatedly requested peace talks with Israel, on the evening of the 8th he instructed the Israeli cabinet to engage in peace talks with the Lebanese side.