As representatives of the Lebanese government begin another round of talks with their Israeli counterparts in Washington this week, their country finds itself in an increasingly impossible situation.
In Lebanon, fighting between local militant group Hezbollah and neighboring Israel has displaced over a million people, killed thousands and caused around $1.4 billion (€1.2 billion) worth of damage.
Israel says it plans to stay in what it is calling a "security buffer zone" there so its own citizens in northern Israel are safe from Hezbollah attacks.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is currently holding and thousands of displaced residents began to try to return home Image: Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo/picture alliance
Iran, which supports Hezbollah in Lebanon, wants fighting there to stop and has made respect for Lebanese sovereignty a condition of the memorandum of understanding it signed last week with the US. The memorandum halted the Iran-US-Israel war that started in late February.
