Lebanon-Israel talks overshadowed by new US-Iran diplomatic track

Lebanon-Israel talks overshadowed by new US-Iran diplomatic track Submitted by Adam Chamseddine on Tue, 06/23/2026 - 14:08 New round of direct negotiations opens amid uncertainty over how it will intersect with deconfliction mechanism negotiated in Switzerland Mourners carry the casket of a slain Hezbollah fighter during his funeral in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on 23 June 2026 (Abbas Fakih/AFP) Off Lebanon and Israel began a fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington on Tuesday, with Beirut seeking to revive proposals for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon even as a new US - Iran diplomatic channel threatens to overshadow the talks. The three-day negotiations come after four previous rounds failed to produce a lasting ceasefire or bridge the wide gap between the two sides. Lebanon is expected to press for a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people, the release of Lebanese prisoners and the beginning of reconstruction.