A fifth round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks is slated to be held from Tuesday to Thursday at the State Department and the Pentagon. At the same time, US officials announced two separate mechanisms on Monday to reduce conflict between Jerusalem and Beirut, while the fighting in Lebanon remains a key flashpoint in wider US-Iran negotiations.<\/p>\n
\t A US official said late Monday that this week\u2019s talks in Washington will begin with a joint political and military session, followed by one military session and another political session.<\/p>\n Israel and Lebanon will be represented by their respective ambassadors in Washington, while State Department Counselor Dan Holler and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Dan Zimmerman will represent the US.<\/p>\n The goal of talks will be \u201cto end the cycle of violence for good,\u201d and \u201cadvance a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two countries,\u201d a US State Department official told AFP on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are enabling Israel and Lebanon to negotiate as two sovereign states and to find a way to have peace and security,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n \t The Trump administration is trying to maintain the legitimacy of the direct channel it created between Israel and Lebanon after seemingly undermining the initiative by using US talks with Iran in order to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.<\/p>\n The apparent disconnect may have to do with the fact that the talks with Iran are led by US Vice President JD Vance, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spearheaded the talks between Israel and Lebanon, while largely staying out of the Iran talks.<\/p>\n US President Donald Trump has oscillated between the two tracks, sometimes giving attention to the Israel-Lebanon channel as he tries to detach Lebanon from the Iran conflict, while other times legitimizing Iranian demands that its deal with Washington include Lebanon.<\/p>\n As of late, the administration appears to be prioritizing the latter track as it works to sustain the MOU it reached with Iran last week, but Trump is known to shift drastically on these matters.<\/p>\n \t Vance and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun discussed a de-confliction mechanism for Lebanon on Monday, Aoun\u2019s office said. Aoun received a call from Vance, US senior adviser Jared Kushner and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a statement from the Lebanese presidency said.<\/p>\n They discussed \u201cthe issue of consolidating the ceasefire in Lebanon, stopping the Israeli military escalation and steps that should be taken in this regard, including the possibility of forming a cell for this purpose,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n Aoun said later Monday that Lebanon will \u201cnegotiate for ourselves, and we do not accept any other party doing so for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe welcome any assistance that comes from any country to end the war, particularly as the situation in the region is interconnected,\u201d the Lebanese president added. \u201cBut there is a big difference between trying to help us and interfering in our internal affairs,\u201d he said, alluding to Iran.<\/p>\n \t A US official told reporters on Monday that the US Central Command has started a \u201cmonitoring mechanism\u201d of fighting in Lebanon so that policymakers have real-time and accurate information regarding the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.<\/p>\n A source familiar with the matter says that this monitoring mechanism is separate from the deconfliction mechanism for Lebanon that Vance announced earlier\u00a0<\/a>Monday. The latter mechanism is one that uses Qatar for the US to pass along complaints to Iran regarding alleged Hezbollah ceasefire violations in Lebanon, as opposed to the previous system that was more ad hoc, the source said.<\/p>\n The unveiling of the monitoring mechanism came after Rubio held phone calls with the leaders of Israel and Lebanon over the weekend, the US official added.<\/p>\n Israeli and Lebanese officials will build on the mechanism during the talks in Washington, the official said.<\/p>\n Since Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding last week, kickstarting negotiations toward a final deal, Iran has been insisting that Israel halt its military operation in Lebanon as a precondition for talks.<\/p>\n Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Oliver Contreras \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26173475471321-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA man with a Hezbollah flag drives past a damaged building following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in the town of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, June 22, 2026. (AP\/ Mohammed Zaatari)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26173427212943-e1782130212482-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS Vice President JD Vance speaks to members of the media after the US and Iran held high-level talks at the B\u00fcrgenstock Resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, in Switzerland, June 22, 2026. (Nathan Howard\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26114485260260-e1780072477667-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tLebanon\u2019s President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference after the EU Summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 24, 2026. (AP\/Petros Karadjias)<\/p>\n
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