The US Department of State has confirmed that America will host the second round of talks between Lebanon and Israel on Thursday, as the two countries push on with direct negotiations amid regional tensions. The talks, which will take place at the State Department, will be the first since a fragile ceasefire came into effect between Hezbollah and Israel last week. 

 

A State Department spokesperson said the United States welcomes the productive engagement that began on April 14. Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh, and her Israeli counterpart, Yechiel Leiter, led the first round of talks on April 14, which was also attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

 

In a televised address, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reasserted that Beirut will continue on the path of negotiations with Israel, adding that these negotiations are neither a weakness nor a retreat. But Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected the negotiations, describing the talks as part of a series of losing concessions that the Lebanese government is making to Israel. The talks came less than a week after a massive Israeli wave of air strikes across Lebanon, including the capital Beirut, that killed more than 300 people, including medics, women and children.