A new round of ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Thursday (April 23) in Washington, Reuters reports.
Israeli and Lebanese officials will hold talks in Washington on Thursday, an Israeli source told Reuters on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirming the first such contact since a 10-day ceasefire took effect last week.
Israel will be represented by its ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, the source said.
The planned talks come as US officials are pushing for an extension of the ceasefire. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Washington was pushing for it, but he declined to say whether he supported opening direct negotiations with Israel, an option that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is reportedly considering.
Lebanon's MTV television network reported that the timing of Aoun's visit to Washington would depend on developments in the coming days and whether an extension of the ceasefire is reached over the weekend.
According to the same report, the Lebanese side insists that President Aoun's meeting with US President Donald Trump be held bilaterally, without the participation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Separately, Lebanese Energy Minister Joe Sadi said that the map published by the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF), which shows an "advanced maritime defense zone" extending from the coast of Lebanon, does not affect the maritime delimitation agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon in 2022.
"From a legal perspective, this map does not change anything about the fact that there is an agreement on maritime delimitation," Sadi told Reuters. "Simply, the agreement is in force and nothing changes." /Panorama
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