The US State Department has confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take part in Tuesday’s meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to Washington.
Israel’s Yechiel Leiter and Lebanon’s Nada Hamadeh Moawad will join Rubio for talks set for 11:30 ET (15:30 GMT) at the State Department.
The purpose of the talks is to end the conflict engulfing southern Lebanon where Israel is striking Hezbollah positions, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee, killing more than 2,000 and injuring more than 6,500, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
On Monday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem urged Lebanon to cancel the planned meeting with Israel. The group rejects the idea of direct negotiations with Israel.
At 14:30 ET, Rubio will also meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
Source: BBC
