Lebanon-Israel talks overshadowed by new US-Iran diplomatic track
Lebanon and Israel began a fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington on Tuesday, with Beirut seeking to revive proposals for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon even as a new US-Iran diplomatic channel threatens to overshadow the talks.
The three-day negotiations come after four previous rounds failed to produce a lasting ceasefire or bridge the wide gap between the two sides.
Lebanon is expected to press for a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people, the release of Lebanese prisoners and the beginning of reconstruction.
Israel, meanwhile, has tied any withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah and has insisted that its forces retain control of a large amount of land inside southern Lebanon until it is satisfied that the Lebanese army would prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military presence.
But the negotiations are taking place in a markedly different diplomatic environment from the previous round earlier this month.
: Lebanon-Israel talks overshadowed by new US-Iran diplomatic track
Mourners carry the casket of a slain Hezbollah fighter during his funeral in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on 23 June 2026 (Abbas Fakih/AFP)