Senior diplomats from Israel and Lebanon are set to hold rare direct talks in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, marking an unusual diplomatic engagement between the two sides amid ongoing hostilities.
According to Al Jazeera, Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter will meet at the United States Department of State at 11:00 a.m. local time (15:00 GMT).
Marco Rubio is expected to join the working-level discussions, which are likely to focus on securing a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israeli military operations have intensified, including sustained airstrikes and a ground offensive.
The talks are also expected to address the disarmament of Hezbollah and explore the prospects of a broader peace arrangement.
However, Hezbollah has rejected the planned negotiations, describing them as “futile” and urging the Lebanese government to prioritize confronting what it termed Israeli aggression.