Lebanon's and Israel's ambassadors to Washington are expected to meet at the US State Department on Tuesday, as Israel continues its attacks and occupation in southern Lebanon and questions grow in Beirut over the value of negotiations that have so far failed to secure an Israeli withdrawal.
Lebanese Ambassador Nada Mouawad and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter are expected to discuss recent developments and the implementation of a US-sponsored framework agreed between Lebanon and Israel in June.
Lebanese official sources told The New Arab that the meeting was intended to keep communication between the two sides open following recent setbacks in negotiations. They said no decisions or agreements were expected to emerge from the talks.
Lebanon will reiterate its demand for an end to Israeli attacks and military operations, including the bulldozing, destruction, demolition and booby-trapping of areas in the south, the sources said.
Beirut is also expected to push for agreement on a second "pilot zone" to be handed over to the Lebanese army.
The meeting comes despite growing doubts in Lebanon over negotiations with Israel, which has continued military operations inside the country while refusing to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory.
A US State Department official said earlier that the ambassadors would discuss "current developments" and the continued implementation of the trilateral framework, describing it as the only viable mechanism for restoring Lebanese sovereignty and Israeli security.
The next round of formal negotiations is due to take place in Rome in October. The eighth round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel had been scheduled for September but was postponed until October.
A Lebanese government source told TNA that Israel had shown little enthusiasm for negotiations and continued to favour military action in southern Lebanon.
"Israel refuses to withdraw from Lebanon and insists on remaining in the south," the source said, adding that Israel sought to maintain its presence for as long as possible as part of a wider regional project.
US ambassador visits southern Lebanon
Against this backdrop, US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa visited southern Lebanon on Tuesday accompanied by representatives from the Lebanese government's Council for Development and Reconstruction.
Arriving under heavy security, Issa visited the Our Lady of the Annunciation Monastery in Zawtar al-Gharbiya in Nabatiyeh district. An Israeli drone reportedly flew overhead during the visit.
Issa later stopped in Qaaqaaiyat al-Jisr, where he inspected a newly constructed bridge replacing one destroyed in an Israeli airstrike.
The visit comes as Washington seeks an expanded role in shaping post-war security arrangements in southern Lebanon while continuing to back Israel, whose forces remain inside Lebanese territory.
Issa, who is of Lebanese origin, recently met Lebanon's vice president of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib. The meeting was viewed by some as an attempt by Washington to engage Lebanon's Shia community while maintaining its campaign against Hezbollah and pressing for the group's full disarmament.
Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States. The group has rejected demands to surrender its weapons while Israeli forces continue to occupy Lebanese territory and carry out attacks.
Zawtar al-Gharbiya is among three villages where the Lebanese army deployed this summer under the June framework agreement. The US-sponsored plan calls for Israel to hand over designated "pilot zones" to the Lebanese army, which is then expected to ensure they have been cleared of Hezbollah weapons and military infrastructure.
Implementation has proceeded slowly amid continued Israeli attacks and occupation. Beirut has repeatedly demanded that Israel halt its military operations and withdraw from Lebanese territory.
Israeli attacks continue
The diplomatic activity comes as Israeli forces continue attacks across southern Lebanon.
Since midnight on Tuesday, Israel has carried out artillery shelling in Wadi Zibqin, al-Mansouri and Kfar Tibnit, as well as detonations in Kounine, Baraachit and al-Mansouri. Israeli operations have remained concentrated around Nabatiyeh despite the Lebanese army reinforcing its deployment in the area.
Fears have also grown over a possible Israeli push towards Nabatiyeh after Israeli forces captured the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge overlooking the city.
Israel's military currently occupies a border zone extending several kilometres into Lebanon, which it calls the "Yellow Line". Dozens of Lebanese towns and villages in the area have been destroyed, preventing large numbers of displaced residents from returning home.
In al-Bayyada in the Tyre district, Israeli forces have been burning what remains of homes, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, while the nearby village of al-Mansouri has faced months of attacks.
On Monday, a resident of Baraachit was killed after Israeli forces opened fire with machine guns in the area.
According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, more than 4,300 people have been killed since all-out fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed on 2 March. Since the conflict began in October 2023, close to 9,000 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 30,000 wounded.