Talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington will continue on Friday

SadaNews - The U.S. State Department announced that the talks mediated by the United States between Israel and Lebanon, which were scheduled to end on Thursday, will continue for an additional day.

The department explained that the fifth round of talks, which began this week, will resume on Friday morning, adding in a statement, "The talks between Israel and Lebanon are still ongoing as we continue to facilitate this process."

These talks come amid a ceasefire between Israel and "Hezbollah," which is an extension of the Middle Eastern war that the United States and Iran are negotiating to bring to a final conclusion.

Prior to this, an American source revealed that the meeting between Lebanon and Israel had reached a deadlock due to the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The American source confirmed that the Lebanese side is demanding a clear timetable for the Israeli withdrawal, indicating that Washington is pushing for an agreement that includes a phased withdrawal of Israel from southern Lebanon.

High-ranking Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday any Israeli withdrawal from the buffer zone in southern Lebanon, following an announcement by an American official that Israel had withdrawn some of its forces from the area as a goodwill gesture towards the Lebanese government.

An Israeli official stated on Thursday that Tel Aviv will not withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.

Israeli government spokesperson David Manser stated during a briefing for journalists, "We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah poses a threat, has not been disarmed, and has not been stripped of its military capabilities."