Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Jun 23: Hours before the latest round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington, Israeli leaders said the country’s military would continue maintaining a presence in southern Lebanon, while the negotiations appeared to be overshadowed by developments in US-Iran discussions.
In a joint statement issued late Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said the Israeli military would continue operations to prevent threats to civilians and soldiers, destroy terror infrastructure and maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon.
“The IDF will continue to act decisively to thwart threats to our soldiers and civilians, destroy terror infrastructure, and continue maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon,” the statement said.
Israeli forces have maintained a presence in a self-declared security zone along the Lebanon border since at least April. The zone extends up to around 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory in some areas, crossing the Litani River and reaching near Nabatieh.
The fifth round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks is scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday at the US State Department and Pentagon. The discussions aim to reduce tensions and find a long-term security arrangement between the two countries.
Lebanese authorities have sought to keep their negotiations separate from broader US-led talks with Iran, as Beirut attempts to reduce the influence of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group inside Lebanon.
A US official said the Washington talks would begin with a joint political and military session, followed by separate military and political discussions.
Israel and Lebanon will be represented by their ambassadors in Washington, while US State Department Counselor Dan Holler and Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs Dan Zimmerman will represent the United States.
The US State Department said the objective was “to end the cycle of violence for good” and move towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement.
The Trump administration has been attempting to maintain the Israel-Lebanon diplomatic channel while also engaging Iran over a separate agreement. The two tracks have become linked due to the ongoing conflict involving Hezbollah in Lebanon.
US Vice President JD Vance has been involved in talks with Iran, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has led the Israel-Lebanon negotiations.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held discussions with Vance, US senior adviser Jared Kushner and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani regarding a mechanism to reduce tensions.
A statement from the Lebanese presidency said the talks focused on strengthening the ceasefire, stopping Israeli military escalation and possibly creating a mechanism to address violations.
Aoun later said Lebanon would negotiate independently and would not allow any other party to negotiate on its behalf.
“We welcome any assistance that comes from any country to end the war, particularly as the situation in the region is interconnected. But there is a big difference between trying to help us and interfering in our internal affairs,” he said, referring to Iran.
A US official said the US Central Command has established a monitoring mechanism to provide real-time information on the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Officials said the monitoring mechanism is separate from another deconfliction system announced earlier, under which Qatar would help communicate US concerns to Iran over alleged Hezbollah ceasefire violations.
The latest developments come after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding last week, with Iran insisting that Israel halt its military operations in Lebanon as a condition for further negotiations.