US official: Israel-Lebanon talks in DC this week to start with joint political-military session

This week’s talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington will begin with a joint political and military session, followed by one military session and another political session, a US official says.

The talks will be held from Tuesday to Thursday at the State Department and the Pentagon.

Israel and Lebanon will be represented by their respective ambassadors in Washington, while State Department Counselor Dan Holler and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Dan Zimmerman will represent the US.

The Trump administration is trying to maintain the legitimacy of the direct channel it created between Israel and Lebanon after seemingly undermining the initiative by using US talks with Iran in order to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.

The apparent disconnect may have to do with the fact that the talks with Iran are led by US Vice President JD Vance, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spearheaded the talks between Israel and Lebanon, while largely staying out of the Iran talks.

US President Donald Trump has oscillated between the two tracks, sometimes giving attention to the Israel-Lebanon channel as he tries to detach Lebanon from the Iran conflict, while other times legitimizing Iranian demands that its deal with Washington include Lebanon.

As of late, the administration appears to be prioritizing the latter track as it works to sustain the MOU it reached with Iran last week, but Trump is known to shift drastically on these matters.