Lebanon has announced the start of talks on a possible ceasefire with Israel, which will begin Tuesday in Washington.

More specifically, the Lebanese presidency announced that Lebanese and Israeli delegations will meet in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in the war that has been affecting the country since early March, with the Israeli government on the other hand ruling out by default talks with the Iranian-affiliated Shiite movement Hezbollah.

.
Lebanon: First meeting on Tuesday 14 April at the State Department

.
“It was agreed to hold a first meeting on Tuesday (April 14) a first meeting at the State Department to discuss the declaration of a ceasefire and the date for the start of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under the auspices of the US,”

a statement said.

.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day instructed his team to hold “direct negotiations” between the two countries, at war for decades.

His government, however, said yesterday it would not discuss with Hezbollah in any talks.

Israel is not negotiating with Hezbollah

.
During a meeting with his counterpart to prepare for the talks, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yehiel Leiter stressed that “we refuse to discuss a ceasefire with the terrorist organization Hezbollah,”

according to a statement from his office.

After a ceasefire between the US and Iran was put in place on Wednesday, Israel argued – unlike Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif, a key mediator – that Lebanon was not included in the deal and escalated bombing and other operations against Hezbollah.

<p

On Wednesday, massive, thunderous Israeli bombardments killed at least 357 people and wounded 1,223 others, according to a newer, but as yet inconclusive, casualty count released by Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

<p

Research on the wreckage is continuing and “a large number of human remains” will require genetic testing to identify them.

.
For its part, Israel’s army claimed to have “eliminated more than 180 members” of Hezbollah in the bombings, which were unleashed without warning particularly in densely populated areas of Beirut.

Thirteen members of the Lebanese security forces were also killed yesterday in Nabatiya, in the south of the country, in fresh Israeli bombing that targeted a public administration building complex in its centre.

These “painful” casualties “reinforce our determination to secure a ceasefire that will protect Lebanon and the population in the south,” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said.

For his part, President Joseph Aoun called on the international community to “assume its responsibilities to end the repeated Israeli attacks.”

</html