US hosts Lebanese and Israeli envoys amidst tense strikes

WASHINGTON: Israeli and Lebanese envoys met in Washington ​on Tuesday as Israel pressed its war on Hezbollah, a diplomatic ​milestone overshadowed by conflicting agendas with Israel ruling out discussion of a ceasefire and demanding Beirut disarm the group. The meeting comes at a critical juncture in the crisis in the Middle East, a week into a fragile ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran. Iran says Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon must be included in any agreement to end the wider war, complicating talks mediated by Pakistan aimed at averting further economic fallout.
The conflict has snared global energy supply and spiked oil prices, piling pressure on US President Donald Trump to find an off-ramp. In a sign Washington wants to see progress in the talks, ⁠Trump's top diplomat and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio appeared at the start of the meeting alongside the Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, and his Lebanese ⁠counterpart, Nada Hamadeh Moawad. State Department Counsellor Michael Needham, US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, and U.S. ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, a personal friend of Trump, were also participating. US ​Secretary of State Marco Rubio on ⁠Tuesday said ⁠Israel-Lebanon talks in ‌Washington were a ​historic ⁠opportunity, ​and while every complexity ​would not be resolved in coming hours, he ​hoped ​the parties would begin ⁠to move ​forward.
LEBANON SEEKS CEASEFIRE
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement on X as the meeting started that he hoped it would 'mark the beginning of ending the suffering of the Lebanese people ​in general, and the southerners in particular.' The Lebanese ⁠government led by Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has called for negotiations with Israel despite objections from Hezbollah, reflecting worsening tensions between ​the Shi'ite Muslim group and its opponents. Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran on March 2, sparking an Israeli offensive that has killed more than 2,000 people and forced 1.2 million from their homes, according to Lebanese authorities.
Lebanese officials have said Moawad only has authority to discuss a ceasefire in Tuesday's meeting. But Israeli government spokesperson ​Shosh Bedrosian said Israel would not discuss a ceasefire. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters in Jerusalem ahead of the meeting that talks would focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah, which he said must take place before Israel and Lebanon could sign any peace agreement and normalise relations. He said Hezbollah was a problem for Israel's security and Lebanon's sovereignty 'and this problem needs to be addressed in order to move to a different phase'. 'We want to reach peace and normalisation with the state of Lebanon,' he said.
The conversation would 'scope the ongoing dialogue about how to ensure the long-term security of Israel's northern border and to support the Government of Lebanon's determination to reclaim full sovereignty over its territory and political life'. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday called on the government to ​cancel the meeting, saying Hezbollah would continue to confront Israeli attacks on Lebanon. In Lebanon, the dead include 252 women and 166 children, the health ministry ​says. Sources familiar with the matter said on March 27 that more than 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed. Since March 2, 13 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon, while Hezbollah attacks have killed two Israeli civilians. — Reuters