Israeli and Lebanese military officials discussed border security measures at the Pentagon. Their conclusions are intended to pave the way for political conversations.
Israeli and Lebanese military officials held productive talks in Washington on Friday. On the night of Saturday, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby informed about it, according to which this meeting will be followed up by upcoming political negotiations. TASR informs about it with reference to the AFP agency.
- Israel and Lebanon held security talks in Washington.
- The negotiations serve as a basis for further political negotiations.
- The aim is to develop security measures along the borders.
- Lebanon calls for a mechanism to verify compliance with the ceasefire.
“Today I welcomed military delegations from Israel and Lebanon to the Pentagon. We discussed the security aspects of the ongoing peace negotiations between these countries,” Colby said on the X Network.
The goal of the negotiations at the US Department of Defense was to develop concrete security measures along the common border. In particular, the Lebanese side demands the creation of an independent mechanism to verify compliance with the ceasefire, which was extended by 45 days.
They tried to stop the fighting
According to the source of the AP agency, the Lebanese delegation at the negotiations sought to comprehensively introduce a ceasefire and stop the ongoing fighting. Beirut officials also want to talk later about issues such as the deployment of the Lebanese army along the border and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon
Lebanon and Israel began groundbreaking direct talks brokered by the United States last month. The next round of talks should take place in early June. However, the discussions are complicated by the militant Lebanese movement Hezbollah, which is at war with Israel and strongly rejects direct negotiations.
In the meantime, Israel continues its attacks in Lebanon despite the valid ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Friday that the Israeli army has crossed the Lítání River and is advancing further north.
