A new round of US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon has begun in Washington. The US State Department announced that Lebanese and Israeli delegations will meet in Washington from June 23-25.
Participants in talks unclear
It remains unclear whether US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will participate in these talks. Rubio has a scheduled visit to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain on the same dates.
Fragile ceasefire and ongoing tensions
Reuters news agency earlier reported that Israel and the Hezbollah movement had reached a ceasefire agreement scheduled to take effect at 4:00 PM on June 19. However, a Lebanese military field source told RIA Novosti that the Israeli Air Force continued its attacks on southern Lebanon on June 19.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated on June 21 that the ceasefire is fragile and that troops must be prepared for a resumption of hostilities.