Hezbollah said it had launched “simultaneous rocket salvos” at 13 northern Israeli towns shortly after the start of the discussions, following an Israeli warning of a rise in attacks during the talks.
Lebanon was pulled into the region-wide Iran war on March 2 after Hezbollah attacked Israel.
Since then Israeli strikes – including an extremely heavy attack on Beirut on April 8 – have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million, despite international calls for a ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that “we want the dismantling of Hezbollah’s weapons, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations.”
On the Lebanese side, President Joseph Aoun said Monday he hoped the Washington talks will yield “an agreement … on a ceasefire in Lebanon, with the aim of starting direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.”
US President Donald Trump’s administration insists on the disarmament of Hezbollah, but also respect for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, while simultaneously upholding Israel’s rights – positions that appear difficult to reconcile.
A former Israeli defence official told journalists on condition of anonymity Monday that it would take “a lot of imagination and optimism to think” that the issues between Israel and Lebanon can be solved in Washington Tuesday, adding that “expectations are low.”