Israel And Lebanon Held Talks In The U.S. For The First Time In 30 Years

What's the deal?

Representatives from Lebanon and Israel met in Washington, kicking off direct talks between the countries that have not taken place in about 30 years.

According to The Times of Israel.

The talks were held in a private room at the U.S. State Department. They were facilitated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US State Department Counselor Michael Needham, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michelle Issa and US Ambassador to the UN Mike Walz.

A joint statement released said the meeting was not the actual start of peace talks, but rather a preparatory step toward achieving them.

"The United States congratulated the two countries on this historic milestone and expressed its support for further negotiations, as well as the Lebanese government's plans to restore its monopoly on force and end Iran's overreach," the statement said.

Washington "expressed hope that the talks could go beyond the 2024 agreement and lead to a comprehensive peace agreement," the statement said, referring to a previous truce in Lebanon brokered by the Joe Biden administration.

Then the truce required Hezbollah to disarm and withdraw from southern Lebanon, goals that have largely gone unfulfilled.

In its statement, the U.S. also expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah's continued attacks and said any cease-fire in Lebanon should be the result of negotiations between Jerusalem and Beirut and not tied to any other direction.

The publication recalls that Iran had sought to include Lebanon in a ceasefire agreement with the United States, and although Pakistani mediators said the two-week truce now in place should cover Hezbollah, Jerusalem and Washington rejected those terms.

Accordingly, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued for a week after the Iranian truce went into effect.

What Lebanon wants

The joint statement recognized Lebanon's position in support of the "urgent need" to restore the November 2024 ceasefire agreement

The joint statement said, that Beirut "emphasizes the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty, while calling for a ceasefire and concrete measures to address and alleviate the serious humanitarian crisis the country continues to experience as a result of the ongoing conflict."

Israel's position

With regard to Israel, the joint statement said that Jerusalem during today's meeting "expressed its support for the disarmament of all non-state terrorist groups and the dismantling of all terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon, and expressed its commitment to cooperate with the Lebanese government to achieve this goal and ensure the security of the people of both countries."

"Israel also expressed its willingness to engage in direct negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues and to

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