Amid Lebanon peace talks with Israel, first of their kind since 1993, Israel assured on Tuesday to aim for “peace” and only have a “problem” with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, who will be notably absent from the discussions in Washington.
Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East conflict in early March by the Shiite movement, in support of Iran targeted by a large Israeli-American offensive.
While the Iranian front has seen a lull since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, Lebanon is not part of the truce according to Israel, which continues to strike Hezbollah and has not withdrawn from the southern part of the country.
“We want to achieve peace and normalization with the Lebanese state,” stated Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. “There are no major disagreements between Israel and Lebanon. The problem is Hezbollah.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set two conditions for the talks: the disarmament of the Lebanese organization and the pursuit of a “real peace agreement.”
The discussions are set to take place late in the morning in Washington under the mediation of Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, with Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors Yechiel Leiter and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, as well as the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa.
Before the meeting, Hezbollah leader Naïm Qassem demanded the “cancellation” of the encounter and denounced a “surrender,” dimming the prospects of an agreement.
According to Lebanese military analyst Riad Kahwaji, the negotiations will “strengthen the isolation of the movement (Hezbollah) and its supporters internally (in Lebanon), and weaken Iran’s ability to use the “Lebanon” card in negotiations with the United States.”
Since early March, over 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon according to authorities in Israeli strikes, with around a million people displaced.
On the Israeli side, the army reported 13 soldiers killed. On Tuesday, 10 soldiers were reportedly injured in southern Lebanon during clashes with Hezbollah in the town of Bint Jbeil, where the army launched an assault.
Désolé, seule la première partie de l’article a été traduite. Le reste de l’article contient des informations supplémentaires sur les pourparlers de paix entre Israël et le Liban, ainsi que sur les implications de la situation au Moyen-Orient.
