Hours before the latest round of direct talks between Jerusalem and Beirut were slated to kick off in Washington, Israeli leaders vowed to maintain an ongoing presence in southern Lebanon, while the slated negotiations appeared to be somewhat sidelined by developments in US-Iran talks.

Lebanese authorities, meanwhile, sought to separate their negotiations with Israel from the wider regional talks led by the United States, as Beirut continues to try to minimize the influence of the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In a joint statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office late Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that “the IDF will continue to act decisively to thwart threats to our soldiers and civilians, destroy terror infrastructure, and continue maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon.”

Israeli troops have maintained a presence in a self-described “security zone” in southern Lebanon along the entire border with Israel since at least April, stretching up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanese territory, in some areas crossing the Litani River and reaching the outskirts of Nabatieh.

“The prime minister, the defense minister and the chief of staff clarified that the security of Israel’s civilians and IDF troops will continue to remain before their eyes without compromise,” the joint statement added.

A fifth round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks is slated to be held from Tuesday to Thursday at the State Department and the Pentagon. At the same time, US officials announced two separate mechanisms on Monday to reduce conflict between Jerusalem and Beirut, while the fighting in Lebanon remains a key flashpoint in wider US-Iran negotiations.

A US official said late Monday that this week’s talks in Washington will begin with a joint political and military session, followed by one military session and another political session.

Israel and Lebanon will be represented by their respective ambassadors in Washington,........

© The Times of Israel