Shaky truce between Israel and Lebanon extended for 45 days, US says
Statement following ‘productive’ talks in Washington comes as Israel launches strikes on southern city of Tyre
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire after another round of talks in Washington, the US state department has said.
It came after two “productive” days of talks, and more negotiations would be held from 2-3 June, the department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
The shaky truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon had been due to end on Sunday.
Pigott said on social media: “We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border.”
Israel has been pounding Lebanon and invaded its south in response to fire from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia movement that is not part of the ceasefire diplomacy.
Even as talks were wrapping up in Washington, Israel’s military issued evacuation orders for the southern city of Tyre, where it said it was hitting Hezbollah infrastructure.
An AFP correspondent reported a series of strikes, two of them near Tyre, while state media said another targeted a centre run by a local NGO near a hospital.
The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon after reporting hostile aircraft alerts and launches from across the border.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the strikes on the Tyre district wounded at least 37 people, including six hospital personnel, nine women and four children.
One strike “levelled” a primary healthcare centre and damaged the neighbouring Hiram hospital, wounding six medical staff members, the statement said.
The US steadfastly backs Israel, with which it attacked Iran on 28 February, but has also gently voiced unease about Israeli troops’ control of southern Lebanon.
“We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border,” Pigott said.
Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, who led his country’s delegation, said after the talks that it would be critical to ensure Israel’s security.
“There will be ups and downs, but the potential for success is great,” Leiter wrote on X.
16:00Iran’s clerical state, Hezbollah’s patron, has demanded a lasting ceasefire in Lebanon before any peace agreement with US president Donald Trump, who has been frustrated by Tehran’s refusal to agree an accord on his terms.
On Friday night the Lebanese prime minister, Nawaf Salam, called for Arab and international support in Beirut’s negotiations with Israel.
Speaking at an NGO dinner, Salam said he hoped to “mobilise all Arab and international support to bolster our position in the negotiations” with Israel.
In an implicit rebuke to Hezbollah, which joined the Middle East war in support of Iran, Salam said his country had had “enough of these reckless adventures serving foreign projects or interests” and that the Lebanese military should be the only armed body in the country.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
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