Washington negotiations continue for second consecutive day
WASHINGTON: Talks between Israel and Lebanon aimed at extending an expiring ceasefire concluded on a positive note on Thursday, with negotiations scheduled to continue for a second day in Washington DC.
A senior US State Department official described the discussions as “productive and positive” after both delegations met at the US State Department headquarters from morning until evening.
“We had a full day of productive and positive talks,” the official said, adding that negotiators hoped to make further progress during the next session.
The current discussions follow earlier rounds of negotiations held on April 14 and April 23, which both sides viewed as preliminary steps toward broader peace efforts.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high despite diplomatic engagement. According to Lebanese officials, Israeli military operations since March 2 have killed more than 2,896 people, injured over 8,824 others, and displaced nearly 1.6 million residents across Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities also accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement announced on April 17 and later extended until May 17.
Israeli strikes kill civilians during diplomatic discussions
Even as talks continued in Washington, Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed three people in southern Lebanon on Thursday.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, an Israeli warplane struck the Ezzedine residential complex in the town of Srifa near Tyre, killing two people after the building collapsed completely.
Rescue workers later recovered the victims’ bodies from beneath the rubble.
In a separate attack, another Israeli strike killed one person and wounded two others in the town of Zrariyeh. Additionally, strikes injured two paramedics at a civil defence site and wounded three more civilians in Kfar Melki.
Israeli warplanes also targeted Ain al-Tineh, Yahmar, Loubaya, and Sohmor in Lebanon’s western Bekaa region.
