The US on Tuesday reported progress in the talks between Israel and Lebanon, as it hosted Israeli and Lebanese representatives in the White House.
“Delegations from Israel and Lebanon met today at State for the fourth round of direct talks, held under US auspices," said State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott in a statement.
“Progress continues on the political and security tracks as we break from the failures of the past 20 years and advance toward a comprehensive agreement aimed at restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring Israel's security," he added.
“The United States remains fully committed to facilitating these historic negotiations. Another round is scheduled for tomorrow," concluded Pigott.
The latest round of talks came one day after President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social, following a phone call with Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to stop attacking each other and that Netanyahu has agreed to halt a planned attack against Hezbollah in Beirut.
Netanyahu, in a statement of his own following his conversation with Trump, said he clarified to the President that Israel will strike in Beirut if Hezbollah continues firing on Israeli civilians.
“I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and civilians, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut. This position remains unchanged. At the same time, the IDF will continue operating in southern Lebanon as planned," Netanyahu said.
The US has hosted several rounds of talks between Israeli and Lebanese delegations in recent weeks.
After the initial April 23 meeting which was attended by Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Trump expressed hope that peace between Israel and Lebanon would be possible this year.
Trump also said he hopes to host a meeting between Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington within the next few weeks.
However, Aoun has made clear that a high-level summit with Netanyahu is currently out of the question, stressing that the cessation of hostilities must be the primary focus before any direct political engagement can be considered.
Aoun also recently stressed that Israel’s complete military withdrawal from southern Lebanon is a “non-negotiable" prerequisite for an agreement.