New Lebanon-Israel talks to begin, in shadow of US-Iran deal

BEIRUT, Jun 23: Lebanon heads into a new round of talks with Israel on Tuesday in Washington, with Beirut determined to press ahead with direct negotiations even as they appear to be overshadowed by Iran's decision to make Lebanon part of its negotiations with the United States.
Lebanese officials have insisted that face-to-face negotiations with Israel are the only way to secure an end to the war raging since March 2, when armed group Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran and triggered Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon.
But four rounds of Lebanese-Israeli talks since April failed to produce a durable ceasefire.
Instead, the longest lull in fighting came this week after Iran and the U.S. agreed a memorandum of understanding that stipulated fighting would halt across all fronts, including Lebanon.
That deal buoyed Iran-backed Hezbollah and dealt a blow to the Lebanese state, whose leaders including President Joseph Aoun had repeatedly warned that Tehran cannot negotiate on Lebanon's behalf.
"The Islamic Resistance warns that what the enemy has committed constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire, which the Resistance has adhered to up to this point," the group said in a statement.
A Lebanese official and two foreign officials working on Lebanon told Reuters the Iran-U.S. deal had pulled the rug out from the Lebanese state, leaving it in its weakest position yet and throwing into question the utility of its talks with Israel this week.
The Lebanese official was skeptical that any tangible progress would come out of the negotiations, which are set to last for three days.
"There remains a fundamental problem of trust between us and the Israelis in these talks. We cannot fulfill their demands, and they reject all of ours," the official said.
Lebanon has said that one of its key goals in the talks would be securing an Israeli military withdrawal, but top Israeli officials have said that troops would remain in southern Lebanon indefinitely.�"Agencies