Israel rejects Lebanon ceasefire during Washington talks: Report

Israel pre-empted a Tuesday meeting with Lebanon in Washington by rejecting a ceasefire during preliminary talks, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views the start of the talks as “a tactic to buy time without stopping the fighting, while showing goodwill toward the Americans and (US) President Donald Trump,” the daily said, citing Israeli sources.

The sources expressed skepticism about the possibility of making progress in the planned talks.

Since March 2, Israel has been carrying out an expanded offensive in Lebanon that has killed 2,089 and injured 6,762 others.

The US State Department said in a statement on Monday evening that the talks will be held at the department’s headquarters in Washington on Tuesday evening.

The talks will include Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, Lebanese Ambassador Nada Muaawad, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa.

Lebanon has sought to obtain a commitment from Israel for a ceasefire during the talks, which have been criticized by Hezbollah.

Haaretz said the issue of disarming Hezbollah comes as a top priority for Israel, but it is unclear whether Tel Aviv intends to link any progress in the contacts to disarmament.

“Leiter will arrive at the talks under instructions not to agree to a ceasefire, which will make it extremely difficult to find common ground with the Lebanese side,” it added.

While the Lebanese government has begun implementing a plan to disarm Hezbollah, the group insists on keeping its weapons and argues that it is a “resistance movement” against Israel.

According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, a joint statement is expected from the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors after the meeting. No additional meetings have been scheduled for this week, it noted.

Israel has agreed to reduce and adjust its strikes in Lebanon in line with the negotiations, it claimed.

There was no official Israeli comment on the reports.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel