As the fifth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel got under way, Washington reassured the Lebanese side that it is pursuing plans to establish a US-Lebanese-Iranian mechanism to consolidate the ceasefire in Lebanon.
The Lebanese presidency said that US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Washington is following up on the understandings reached in Switzerland, including plans to establish a US-Lebanese-Iranian mechanism to help consolidate and monitor implementation of the ceasefire in Lebanon. The presidency added that the arrangements for this mechanism are still under discussion.
Aoun said: "We will accept nothing less than the complete end of the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and the simultaneous fall of foreign guardianships" — a reference to Tehran.
In a post on X, Aoun wrote: "We have embarked on a new round that we hope will be decisive on the path to achieving what we seek for our homeland and our people — and what we seek is the full restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty over every grain of its soil and the extension of state authority over all our territory."
Aoun affirmed that developments in recent days "have proven the correctness of our choice to pursue negotiations, as it is the only universally recognised means of achieving national goals and reclaiming all rights."
He added that the state is the entity capable of protecting all Lebanese people, safeguarding their freedoms and dignity, honouring the sacrifices that have been made, and dispelling feelings of fear and grievance among the various segments of society.
He considered this orientation to represent the sum of Lebanon's experience in its contemporary history and to reflect the will of the Lebanese people, affirming his commitment to working towards realising this vision in the service of Lebanon's interest and all its citizens.
Lebanon yesterday began a new round of talks with Israel in Washington, amid its determination to press ahead with direct negotiations. A US State Department official said the negotiations would include military and political representatives from each country and aimed to "push towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two countries."
"Our shared goal is to bring a permanent end to the cycle of violence. We are helping Israel and Lebanon negotiate as two sovereign states and find a path towards peace and security," the official added.
Lebanon announced that one of its main objectives in the talks is to secure an Israeli military withdrawal, but senior Israeli officials have said their forces will remain in southern Lebanon indefinitely.
A Lebanese official expressed doubt that the negotiations — scheduled to last three days — would yield any tangible progress. "There is still a fundamental problem of trust between us and the Israelis in these talks. We cannot meet their demands, and they reject all of ours," he said.
Israel views the purpose of the upcoming talks as "the disarmament of Hezbollah and reaching a genuine peace agreement" with Lebanon — a position outlined in a briefing given by Israeli government spokesman David Mencer on the eve of the new negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said, including yesterday, that Israeli forces will continue to maintain what he calls a "security zone" in southern Lebanon.
In a ceasefire violation, Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire on a group of people near a bulldozer working to open a road in the Al-Deir neighbourhood of the town of Al-Nabatieh Al-Fawqa in the south. Lebanese sources said the 2 killed were civilians and accused Israel of a flagrant violation of the ceasefire.
The Israeli army said its forces fired warning shots at 4 people who were riding a bulldozer and a motorcycle after they entered an area under its forces' control.