Israel and Lebanon meet for third round of direct talks in Washington

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold a second day of direct talks on Friday in Washington following a round of discussions on Thursday, which a US State Department official described as “productive and positive”. “We look forward to continuing this tomorrow [Friday] and hope to have more to share then,” the official added. The third round of negotiations comes just days before the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is due to expire. Lebanese officials hope the two-day negotiations will lead to a renewed ceasefire. They also hope to tackle key sticking points, such as the withdrawal of Israeli forces…