JERUSALEM, March 14 (Reuters) – Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold direct talks in the coming days, their first since the start of the Iran war that has drawn Lebanon deeper into conflict, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Saturday, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will be involved in the talks that may be held in Paris or in Cyprus, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s confidant Ron Dermer leading the Israeli delegation, Haaretz said.
The negotiations were expected to focus on ending fighting in Lebanon and disarming the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, Haaretz said.
Hezbollah opened fire on Israel on March 2 saying it was retaliating for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Israel has since launched an extensive bombing campaign against the powerful Lebanese armed group, which has killed more than 770 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more, while Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets across the border.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Toby Chopra)
