WASHINGTON/BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: Lebanon will demand Israel cease fire at face-to-face talks that began in Washington on Thursday, a senior Lebanese official said, as Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel continued to trade blows despite a US-backed truce declared last month. A State Department official confirmed that a meeting of Lebanese and Israeli envoys, along with US officials, had started at about 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT). The talks, which are expected to continue on Friday, are the sides’ third meeting since hostilities reignited between Hezbollah and Israel on March 2.

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…

While Lebanon Is Demanding a Permanent Truce and a Halt to the Destruction of Border Villages, Israel Seeks to Retain Full Freedom of Operations in Lebanon Until the Hezbollah…