The fifth round of Israeli-Lebanese talks opened Tuesday in Washington and is scheduled to continue until Thursday. Just before the talks began, the IDF said its forces fired at Hezbollah operatives acting under civilian cover on the Ali al-Taher ridge after identifying four Hezbollah members on a bulldozer and an motorcycle who advanced toward troops in what it described as an immediate threat. The IDF said it first fired warning shots, then fired again when the men kept moving closer and ignored calls to stop, and a hit was identified. Later, the IDF said it also struck a vehicle in the village of Braishit.
Earlier Tuesday, after more than a day of relative calm in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media reported two people were killed by IDF fire in the village of Al-Nabatieh al-Fouqa. Lebanon said fire was opened at civilians who had come to their home. The IDF later confirmed it struck there and said the target was an armed terrorist cell identified near forces on the Ali Taher ridge. Lebanese outlet Al-Jadeed also claimed the negotiations touch on exchanging the remains of navigator Ron Arad for Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, but Israeli officials said they were not aware of any such report and denied it.
The delegations are meeting on parallel political and military tracks. Israel is represented by Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, deputy head of the National Security Council for foreign policy Yossi Drizin, and professional staff. The military track includes Strategic Division chief Amihaï Levin, acting military attaché Erik Ben-Dov, and other officers. On Tuesday, the Israeli side was expected to present maps and begin talks on pilot areas where the Lebanese army would be tested in clearing Hezbollah from territory, under a formula agreed at the previous meeting. The pilot zones would be closely monitored by the U.S. military, and Israel is expected to propose several possible areas while Lebanon offers its own.
Israeli officials said they doubt the effort will succeed and argued that the talks are driven by U.S. pressure to preserve the ceasefire in Lebanon amid the deal with Iran. One official said any solution reached now would still leave the Hezbollah threat unresolved, both against Israel and inside Lebanon. Another senior Israeli source said Israel’s official line remains that it must stay in the security belt and retain maximum freedom of action, while also insisting that Hezbollah must be disarmed and south Lebanon demilitarized. U.S. officials, meanwhile, fear a domino effect in which any Hezbollah fire on Israel would trigger a major Israeli response, draw in Iran, and rapidly escalate the wider conflict.
