Israel rejects ceasefire with Hezbollah ahead of Lebanon talks next week

Talks due in Washington as Israel continues deadly strikes in Lebanon, and Iran says there is no ceasefire without it.Israel says it will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah when it meets Lebanese officials for talks in Washington next week – as Israeli attacks on Lebanon go on.Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors held late-night discussions on Friday to finalise arrangements for the meeting due at the state department on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Pakistan’s prime minister calls US-Iran talks ‘make or break’list 2 of 3Pakistan ambassador speaks to Al Jazeera on eve of US-Iran talkslist 3 of 3Iran war day 43: What’s happening in Lebanon, Middle East and beyond?end of listIsrael’s ambassador, Yechiel Leiter, said the talks would mark the start of formal negotiations with the Lebanese government, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.“Israel agreed to begin formal peace negotiations” with Lebanon, he said.But he ruled out any discussion involving Hezbollah.“Israel refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organisation, which continues to attack Israel and is the main obstacle to peace between the two countries,” he added.The diplomatic push comes as Israeli strikes intensify across Lebanon. The National News Agency reported the killing of three people on Saturday when an air strike destroyed a residential building in Mayfadoun in Nabatieh district.Media reports suggest Washington and Beirut have urged Israel to pause attacks before the talks. Reuters, citing Axios, said both the Lebanese government and the Trump administration have requested a temporary halt to hostilities, though the White House has not publicly confirmed the report.Trump said he had asked Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back the ongoing bombardment, warning that continued strikes could undermine the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran. Talks between them are set to begin in Pakistan on Saturday.Iran: No talks without LebanonTehran has said that the two-week pause in hostilities agreed earlier this week with Washington includes an end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel has rejected that interpretation and continued its military campaign, including a large-scale assault on Wednesday that killed and wounded over 1,000 people.