Israeli troops launched an attack on Monday to seize a key town in south Lebanon from Hezbollah fighters holed up there, pressing the war on the Iran-backed group on the eve of rare talks between Israeli and Lebanese government envoys. With the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States set to meet on Tuesday in Washington, Lebanon's foreign minister said Beirut would use face-to-face negotiations to press for ?a ceasefire in the war, which has complicated wider diplomacy to halt the conflict in the Middle East.
But the outlook for the meeting ¡ª an unusual, face-to-face encounter ?between countries ?formally in a state of war ¡ª is uncertain. Israel has said it will not discuss a ceasefire, while Hezbollah has objected ?to negotiations with Israel, reflecting sharply worsening political tensions in Lebanon.
In a televised speech on Monday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the Lebanese government should cancel the Tuesday meeting, describing it as "pointless" and saying his group would continue confronting Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
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