WASHINGTON: Lebanon and Israel are to hold new peace talks in Washington starting Thursday, as their latest ceasefire — considered to still be in place despite hundreds of deaths in Israeli strikes — nears its end.
On the eve of the negotiations, Lebanon’s health ministry said that 22 people, including eight children, were killed Wednesday as Israel intensified airstrikes.
The attacks pounded about 40 locations in Lebanon’s south and east, according to the country’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The two nations last met on April 23 at the White House, where US President Donald Trump announced a three-week ceasefire extension and voiced optimism for a historic agreement.
Trump at the time made the bold prediction that, within the latest ceasefire period, he would welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to Washington for a historic first summit between the countries.
