Israel Hails Lebanon Talks Despite Slim Odds of Breakthrough
Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter speaks to members of the media outside the State Department following talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh in Washington on April 14.
Photographer: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Israel and Lebanon met for their first high-level talks in more than 30 years in what the Israeli ambassador to the US called a “victory for sanity,” even as officials played down hopes for an end to the war with Hezbollah.
The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington met under US mediation for “productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement Tuesday. No date or time was set for another round.