Israel And Lebanon Hold First Direct Talks Since 1983

Israel and Lebanon are holding their first direct talks in over 40 years. Negotiators from both nations spoke for over two hours on Tuesday at an event in Washington, DC hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Israel has been firing missiles at Hezbollah targets in Lebanon since a ceasefire was declared between the U.S. and Iran, and claims Lebanon was not part of the deal. At Tuesday’s meeting, Lebanese officials said over two-thousand residents have been killed by the attacks, and called for a ceasefire.

The Israelis, however, ruled out a ceasefire and instead called on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.