BEIRUT: Lebanon's president and prime minister on Tuesday discussed preparations for a new round of talks with Israel next week, after the US and Iran announced a peace deal that includes Lebanon. Lebanon and Israel have been holding direct talks in Washington since April, seeking to end hostilities and separate the Israel-Hezbollah conflict from the wider regional war. But the announcement of the US-Iran deal has reshuffled the cards in Lebanon.
The office of President Joseph Aoun said in a statement that he and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed preparations for the fifth round of talks, scheduled to begin on June 22. The pair view the US-Iran memorandum of understanding as "a positive factor in reducing the regional tensions and pushing towards peaceful solutions and an end to the state of war", according to the statement.
They also reiterated that through the Washington talks, Lebanon continues to seek "a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the lands they occupy, the deployment of the Lebanese army up to the international border, the return of Lebanese prisoners and launching the reconstruction process". Details circulating of the Iran-US deal fail to mention a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.
Hezbollah joined the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
Israel responded with a massive campaign of airstrikes and a ground invasion. The Lebanese group said it would be "wise to review all the calculations and approaches pursued by the authorities... and acknowledge that a united Lebanese position and reliance on true friends is the optimal way to safeguard national interests". — AFP
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