Third Round of Israel-Lebanon Washington Talks Opens with Military Officials for First Time

A third round of direct US-mediated Israel-Lebanon negotiations opened in Washington DC, marking a significant escalation in the format of the talks. For the first time, the delegations included senior military officials — Israel's acting defense attaché to the US and the head of the IDF's Strategic Division participated alongside Lebanese counterparts including Lebanese Armed Forces representatives. Lebanese officials sought a ceasefire extension and concrete progress on Israeli withdrawal from positions occupied in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement; Israeli negotiators pushed for credible Hezbollah disarmament south of the Litani River. The talks were hosted by the Trump administration's Middle East envoy. The inclusion of military officials signaled that both sides were engaging seriously with security arrangements rather than purely political frameworks, though Hezbollah rejected the negotiations and their outcomes entirely.