A member of the Lebanese army gestures at the site of an Israeli strike on a bridge carried out before a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon went into effect, in Qasmiyeh, Southern Lebanon, April 20, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Israeli and Lebanese representatives will hold talks in Washington on Thursday, a US State Department spokesperson and an Israeli source speaking on the condition of anonymity told Reuters on Monday.

The US will host the second round of ambassador-level talks between the two countries at the Department of State, the State Department spokesperson said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first round of talks between Israeli ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanon‘s ambassador to Washington Nada Moawad – the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades – on April 14.

“We will continue to facilitate direct, good-faith discussions between the two governments,” the spokesperson said.

The second round of talks will mark the first talks between the two countries since a 10-day ceasefire took effect on Thursday.

Israel launched a military campaign in neighboring southern Lebanon after the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah began firing rockets at northern Israeli communities in early March. The barrages from Hezbollah came in response to the joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran.

The ceasefire remains fragile, with Israeli troops occupying territory deep in the south, aiming to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from Hezbollah attack, while the group says it maintains the “right to resist” Israeli occupation.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Washington was making an effort to extend the ceasefire agreed by the Israeli and Lebanese governments, after he met the US ambassador to Lebanon.

Hezbollah strongly opposes the contacts between Israel and Lebanon.

The Lebanese government has been sharply at odds with Hezbollah over its decision to join the regional war on March 2, having sought the group’s peaceful disarmament for the past year, and had called for negotiations with Israel.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon‘s talks with Israel would be handled by a delegation led by its former ambassador to Washington, Simon Karam.

A senior Lebanese official earlier said Beirut had informed Washington that circumstances were not correct for a face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel during the war. Its attacks have killed two civilians in Israel while 15 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon since March 2, Israel ​says.

Hezbollah has not disclosed its casualty figures. At least 400 of its fighters had been killed by the end of March, according to sources. The Israeli military say its forces have killed some 1,400 Hezbollah terrorists.