Lebanon and Israel open Washington talks as Iran-US deal looms
What's new: Beirut will seek a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal, while Israel is pressing for Hezbollah to be disarmed.
Lebanon and Israel began a new round of talks in Washington on June 23, with Beirut pushing direct negotiations even after a US-Iran memorandum brought a relative lull in fighting across Lebanon. Lebanese officials say the three-day talks are the only path to ending a war that escalated on March 2, when Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran and triggered Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon. Beirut wants Israel to present a reasonable timetable to withdraw troops from southern Lebanon. Israel has said its forces will remain there indefinitely and that disarming Hezbollah is central to any wider peace deal.