On eve of direct Jerusalem-Beirut talks, Israel vows to maintain presence in Lebanon

Hours before the latest round of direct talks between Jerusalem and Beirut were slated to kick off in Washington, Israeli leaders vowed to maintain a presence in southern Lebanon, while the slated negotiations were sidelined to a degree 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. The Trump administration is trying to maintain the legitimacy of the direct channel it created between Israel and Lebanon after...