BEIRUT May 14, 2026 – Lebanon will press Israel to implement an immediate ceasefire during face-to-face negotiations that opened in Washington on Thursday, a senior Lebanese official said, even as Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces traded fresh blows in southern Lebanon.
The third round of U.S.-mediated talks began at approximately 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) at the State Department and is expected to continue into Friday. Lebanon’s delegation is led by Presidential Special Envoy Simon Karam, while Israel is represented by Deputy National Security Adviser Yossi Draznin and senior military officials.
An Israeli government spokesperson said the goal of the discussions is the disarmament of Hezbollah and the conclusion of a broader peace agreement between the two countries.
The negotiations come as a U.S.-backed ceasefire declared by President Donald Trump on April 16 nears its expiry this Sunday. Despite the truce, violence has persisted since the conflict reignited on March 2, 2026, largely confined to southern Lebanon where Israel maintains a self-declared security zone.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 22 people, including eight children. Hezbollah claimed 17 attacks on Israeli troops the same day and said an explosive drone it launched injured several Israeli civilians near the border. On Thursday, the Israeli military announced further strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has outlined Beirut’s key demands: strengthening the ceasefire, establishing a timetable for Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and securing the release of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel.
The war has inflicted a heavy toll. Lebanese authorities say 2,896 people have been killed since early March, including 589 women, children and medical personnel. Around 1.2 million people have been displaced, mostly from the south. Israel has reported 17 soldiers and two civilians killed.
Hezbollah, founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, has strongly opposed the talks, while the Lebanese government is participating despite deep domestic divisions over the group’s role.
The Washington discussions run parallel to broader U.S.-Iran diplomacy, with Tehran demanding an end to the Lebanon conflict as part of any wider agreement.
Reuters’ accompanying video footage shows distressing scenes from the latest violence: destroyed homes in southern Lebanon, funerals with bodies wrapped in green shrouds, grieving families, ambulances at the scene, and plumes of smoke rising from strike sites.
The talks mark some of the highest-level direct contacts between Lebanon and Israel in decades. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has indicated that Beirut requires a solid security arrangement and a halt to Israeli attacks before considering any higher-level meetings.
Life News Agency will continue to monitor developments in Washington and on the ground in southern Lebanon.
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