Israel and Lebanon are meeting in Washington on Thursday in hopes of extending a fragile 10-day ceasefire that began last week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading the ambassador-level negotiations, although it remains unclear whether the administration will push for a permanent resolution.
The meeting follows a period of increased tension, including an Israeli strike on Wednesday that killed two people in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah responded by launching an attack drone at Israeli forces in the south, further straining the ceasefire between the Iran-backed group and Israel.
Israel stated ahead of the talks that it has no serious disagreements with Lebanon, calling on the country to work together against Hezbollah. The Israeli foreign minister added that Hezbollah is the obstacle to peace and normalization between the two nations.
Hezbollah is notably absent from the current negotiations and is opposed to the talks.