Rubio to host Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors for talks amid ceasefire effort [View all]

Source: msn/Axios

11h


Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host on Tuesday a meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington, D.C., to launch direct negotiations between the countries.

Why it matters: The talks, which will take place amid fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and a wide-ranging Israeli ground invasion in southern Lebanon, are going to focus on the possibility of a ceasefire and on longer term disarming of Hezbollah, along with a peace deal between the countries, sources say.

This is going to be the most high-level direct meeting between Israel and Lebanon since 1993.

In addition to Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, State Department Counselor Michael Needham, Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh will attend the meeting.