Lebanon hopes for extension of ceasefire at Washington meeting

InternationalLebanon hopes for extension of ceasefire at Washington meetingBy Reuters -Apr 22, 2026BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: Lebanese and Israeli envoys will meet for the second ​time in two weeks in Washington on Thursday, building on nascent contacts between the states, with Lebanon hoping for the extension of a ‌shaky ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. The 10-day, U.S.-mediated ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday. Underlining its fragility, Iran-backed Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had fired rockets at northern Israel in response to Israeli violations, while Israel also accused the group of breaches. Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, when the group opened fire in support of Tehran in the regional war. Washington’s ​mediation over Lebanon emerged in parallel to Pakistan’s bid to end the U.S. war with Iran, which had demanded Lebanon be part of a ​ceasefire. Washington has denied any link between the tracks. More than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched an offensive ⁠in response to Hezbollah’s March 2 attack, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel has seized a belt of territory at the border where its troops remain, saying it aims ​to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah, which fired hundreds of rockets at Israel during the conflict. A Lebanese official said Thursday’s ​meeting would be focused on two agenda items: extending the ceasefire and exploring a date for expanded negotiations beyond the ambassadorial level, in which Lebanon would push for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of Lebanese detained in Israel and a delineation of the land border. Lebanon’s position is that a ceasefire extension is a prerequisite for talks to move to the expanded negotiations, the ​official said. Hezbollah, which says the Lebanon ceasefire was the fruit of Iranian pressure, has condemned Beirut for seeking talks with Israel, reflecting wider splits with the government ​that has sought Hezbo...