Lebanese and Israeli envoys meet in Washington for ceasefire talks
Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors are meeting at the White House on Thursday for a second round of U.S.-facilitated talks. The current 10-day ceasefire, which began around April 16-17, is set to expire this Sunday. Beirut, represented by Ambassador Nada Moawad, is seeking an extension to the truce and a halt to Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon. U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet the envoys personally to signify the importance of these negotiations. Tensions remain high as recent Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon resulted in at least five deaths, including journalist Amal Khalil. Both the Lebanese presidency and Prime Minister Najib Mikati have condemned the targeting of civilians and journalists as war crimes. Meanwhile, Israel has declared it has no major disputes with the Lebanese government, urging cooperation against Hezbollah, which is absent from the talks and maintains its right to resist. Since the conflict escalated on March 2, over 2,400 people have been killed and more than one million displaced.