Israel has made an unexpected offer to the Lebanese government ahead of upcoming peace talks in Washington.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Wednesday called on Lebanon to work together with Israel against the armed group Hezbollah.
“Direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will begin tomorrow (Thursday) in Washington, D.C. I call on the Lebanese government to work together against the ‘terror state’ that Hezbollah has established on your soil,” he said in a speech to diplomats.
The Israeli foreign minister said this cooperation is needed more by Lebanon than by Israel. “It requires moral clarity and the courage to take risks,” he said. “But there is no real alternative to it to ensure your and our future peace.”
Israel and Lebanon have no formal diplomatic relations, but a US State Department official confirmed to the media that the two countries are set to hold talks in Washington on Thursday.
Israeli forces have continued their offensive in southern Lebanon despite a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel that began last Friday. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned last week that they would use “full force” if threatened.
They have been claiming that, under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel has the right to take action against “planned or imminent attacks”.
Also on Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had killed two people who “violated the ceasefire” in the Saluki area of southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s state news agency (NNA) also reported that one person was killed and two others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike in the country’s Bekaa region.
The Israeli military has set a “yellow line” along the border with southern Lebanon, within which its troops operate. It said it had retaliated on Tuesday in response to Hezbollah rocket fire.
The only obstacle is Hezbollah:
In his speech, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reiterated that Israel has no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon. “Unfortunately, Lebanon is a failed state, effectively controlled by Iran through Hezbollah. The only obstacle to peace and normalization of relations between our two countries is Hezbollah,” he said.
Israel launched massive airstrikes across Lebanon and a ground operation in the south of the country on March 2 after Hezbollah joined the war with the support of Iran.
Although a ceasefire began last Friday, both sides continue to accuse each other of violating the terms.
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