Amid intensified Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon since this morning, the third round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began at 4 PM Beirut time at the U.S. State Department building in Washington.

The talks concluded around 12:30 AM Beirut time and are scheduled to resume tomorrow, Friday, at 9 AM Washington time.

According to reports, today’s discussions focused on political issues, while tomorrow’s sessions are expected to address security files as part of a two-day negotiation process at the U.S. State Department headquarters. The talks covered extending the ceasefire, border demarcation, Israeli withdrawal, the disarmament of Hezbollah, the return of displaced people, as well as the future of monitoring mechanisms and early recovery efforts in the south.

The Lebanese and Israeli delegations, along with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, are participating in this third round of negotiations under U.S. auspices.

President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam followed the course of the negotiations in Washington during a bilateral meeting held at Baabda Palace.

According to the Lebanese Presidency, the discussions addressed the negotiations that began at the U.S. State Department between the Lebanese, American, and Israeli delegations, in light of the directives given to the Lebanese delegation during preparations for the talks.

Presidents Aoun and Salam agreed to remain in constant communication to follow up on the talks and decided to convene a Cabinet session next week.

The third round of negotiations carries significant implications, reflected in the measures put in place by the U.S. State Department. Two days of talks are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, running from morning until evening, underscoring the seriousness and sensitivity of the negotiations.

Today, Ambassador Simon Karam is leading the Lebanese delegation, having previously played a negotiating role within the “Mechanism” Committee. Joining him are Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Moawad, and the Lebanese military attaché at the Lebanese Embassy. Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, remains head of the Israeli negotiating team alongside a military official.