Israel and Lebanon resume negotiations this Tuesday (2) after weeks of tension
Authorities from Israel and Lebanon will meet again this Tuesday (2) and Wednesday (3), in Washington, in a new round of negotiations mediated by the USA to try to consolidate the ceasefire between the two countries and reduce tensions on the border.
The meeting comes after weeks of military escalation involving Israel and the Hezbollah group, supported by Iran, even after the extension of the truce announced by United States President Donald Trump on April 16.
This week's talks follow negotiations held in mid-May, when Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend the ceasefire for another 45 days.
At the time, the American State Department classified the dialogues as "highly productive" and announced that the parties would meet again on June 2 and 3 to try to advance a broader solution.
Since then, new episodes of violence have once again threatened the agreement.
Last weekend, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, proposing a plan for gradual de-escalation.
According to an American official, the proposal calls for Hezbollah to cease all attacks against Israel, while Israeli forces would commit not to expand military operations in Beirut.
The plan, however, met resistance. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Hezbollah would be willing to respect a ceasefire, but argued that Israel should stop attacks first.
Tensions have increased further in recent days. On Monday (1st), Netanyahu ordered the advancement of Israeli operations in southern Lebanon and stated that the country's forces would continue to act against Hezbollah positions.
Shortly before, Israeli troops had taken control of the historic Beaufort Castle and areas considered strategic in southern Lebanon.
The situation led Trump to intervene directly. The American president stated that he spoke with both Netanyahu and Hezbollah representatives and announced a retreat from offensive plans on Beirut.
"I had a very productive conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and there will be no troops on the way to Beirut," Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social.
According to sources interviewed by CNN, the call between Trump and Netanyahu had moments of tension, with the American president pressuring the Israeli prime minister to reduce military operations to avoid damaging the negotiations led by Washington.
Despite this, Netanyahu later reiterated that the Israel Defense Forces will continue to operate in southern Lebanon.
Tensions in Lebanon influence negotiations between the US and Iran
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah also began to directly affect negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the regional war.
Iranian officials have said that any ceasefire between Washington and Tehran must include an end to hostilities in Lebanon.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that a violation of the truce on Lebanese territory would be considered a breach of the ceasefire on all fronts.
The Iranian position gained strength after the country's state media reported that peace negotiations with the United States had been temporarily suspended due to Israeli actions in Lebanon.
Analysts assess that the Lebanese front has become one of the main obstacles to a broader agreement in the Middle East, as Iran considers the protection of Hezbollah an essential condition for any lasting understanding with Washington.
While talks take place, the ceasefire remains under pressure. According to Lebanon's Ministry of Health, more than 1,100 people have died in Israeli attacks since the truce came into force in April, while Israel continues to assert that its operations target Hezbollah structures and fighters.
(With information from Charbel Mallo, Catherine Nicholls, Kevin Liptak, Zeena Saifi and Mohammed Tawfeeq of CNN, Emily Rose and Ahmed Tolba of Reuters)
Understand what Hezbollah is and how the Lebanese group came about
Source: CNN