Israel and Lebanon were to hold a new round of talks in Washington on Thursday to discuss expanding a temporary ceasefire that paused most fighting with the Hezbollah terror group, but which has teetered amid persistent skirmishes.

The second round of direct talks is set to begin at 4 p.m. local time, a source at the Lebanese embassy told the Lebanese daily An-Nahar.

The discussions come amid a 10-day ceasefire between the two countries, with Lebanon expected to request a one-month extension. The US-mediated ceasefire, which is set to expire on Sunday, has yielded a significant reduction in violence, but attacks have continued in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops have seized a self-declared buffer zone intended to prevent Hezbollah rocket and drone fire at northern Israel.

Hezbollah fired an anti-tank guided missile at Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon on Thursday morning, the military said. According to the IDF, the missile struck near the forces, but no injuries were caused. The IDF said it also shot down a suspected Hezbollah drone.

Separately, the IDF announced that a Hezbollah operative who was operating at a rocket launching site in southern Lebanon was killed in an airstrike the previous day to “prevent a direct threat to the communities of northern Israel.”

As in the previous round, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will bring together Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, in the presence of the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa.

Lebanon has also appointed Simon Karam, a seasoned diplomat and former ambassador to the US, to lead its delegation in the negotiations.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is now also expected to join the meeting, a State Department official told AFP.

Israel stated ahead of the talks that it has no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon, calling on Beirut to “work together” against the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, which is opposed to the negotiations. Israel wants Lebanon to make good on a plan to disarm Hezbollah, to stop its attacks on northern Israel.

Hezbollah says it has “the right to resist” occupying forces.

Lebanese President Joseph........

© The Times of Israel