
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been extended for another 45 days. This was announced by State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott after two days of negotiations with delegations of the two countries in Washington.
According to Pigott, a new round of political consultations will be held on June 2-3, and on May 29, security talks will start at the Pentagon with the participation of military delegations from Israel and Lebanon.
Among the key topics of discussion are border demarcation, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, the return of displaced residents and the disarmament of the pro-Iranian group Hezbollah, which is recognized as terrorist in the United States and Israel (the European Union recognizes the military wing of the group as terrorist, but not the political party).
There is an official ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, but Hezbollah is flying drones into northern Israel and the Israeli military is striking jihadist infrastructure in Lebanese territory.
Lebanon is seeking a ceasefire and a return to the situation that existed before March 2, when Hezbollah supported Iran and attacked Israel, violating the 2024 truce. Beirut demands the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south of the country and the release of prisoners.
Israel, in turn, insists on a plan to disarm Hezbollah and maintain control of the buffer zone south of the Litani River.
The United States supports Israel's position and expects that the negotiations will lead to normalization of relations between the countries. According to sources, Washington is also discussing the creation of special units in the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem previously again rejected the possibility of direct negotiations with Israel and said that the issue of disarmament of the movement is an internal matter of Lebanon.
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Truce between Israel and Lebanon extended for 45 days