A second day of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon got underway Wednesday in Washington, according to a US State Department official who spoke with the Jerusalem Post.

The official said the discussions are intended to “continue to advance a comprehensive peace and security between the two countries.”

The Israeli delegation is headed by Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, while Lebanon is represented by Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Maawad and former Lebanese ambassador to Washington Simon Karam.

A central issue in Wednesday’s talks is a proposed pilot program that would see the Lebanese Armed Forces deploy to selected areas in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw from those locations.

Two officials familiar with the negotiations told The Post that Tuesday’s opening session produced little tangible progress. Nevertheless, they described the atmosphere as constructive and said they expect a joint statement to be issued when the talks conclude Thursday, along with agreements to launch the Lebanese Army pilot initiative.

The primary disagreement involves where the pilot program should begin.

Lebanon, backed by the United States, wants the project to start in areas currently held by Israeli forces. Israel prefers beginning in locations in southern Lebanon where the IDF is not presently deployed.

“We first need to see whether they can meet the objective and clear the area of Hezbollah’s presence. If that works, the model can also be implemented in areas where the IDF is currently stationed,” an Israeli official told the Post.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the disputed buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon is “at the core of” the American-mediated negotiations.

Rubio said the objective is for the Lebanese government to “continue to be able to control and secure more and more of their own territory”.

“The more of that area the Lebanese armed forces is able to secure, the less of it is in Hezbollah’s control, and the less Israel will be in Lebanon,” Rubio said.

Israeli analysts say Iranian involvement in Lebanese affairs following last week’s US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding has added a layer of complexity to the negotiations.

Despite those challenges, the sources said they still expect Israel and Lebanon to eventually reach an agreement because both sides have strong incentives to do so.

“Lebanon has an interest in demonstrating that it does not take orders from Iran and that Tehran does not control Lebanon. Israel, for its part, has no interest in handing Iran any achievements related to Lebanon,” one official said.

At the same time, senior Israeli leaders continued to reject the possibility of a broader withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared during the MUNI EXPO 2026 conference: “We will remain there.”

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz similarly stated that Israel would not leave southern Lebanon even if Washington pressed for such a move.

“Two hundred thousand residents will not return. There are no civilians and no terrorists there. We will not leave the security zones in Syria and Lebanon – this is our security doctrine. The IDF must remain on the enemy’s side of the border and defend Israeli communities from within the territory itself,” Katz said.

“Why? Because in the past, security zones that included civilian populations became the site of roadside bombs and attacks against our soldiers. We will not allow that to happen again. Soldiers inside, civilians outside. The infrastructure has been destroyed, the houses are damaged and dangerous. We are not withdrawing”.

The fifth round of talks began Tuesday and focused largely on establishing pilot zones in southern Lebanon where Lebanese troops would replace withdrawing Israeli forces.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed that several obstacles emerged during the first day of negotiations but expressed hope that additional discussions would resolve those issues.

According to Axios, the opening day concluded without any breakthroughs. Two sources briefed on the talks said participants felt the negotiations moved backward rather than forward.

Before the discussions began, Leiter voiced concerns about the direction of the negotiations.

“This is the fifth round of talks, and I must say, we are heading toward a train wreck… that train is in danger of derailing,” he said.

Leiter warned that the recent US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding could give Iranian-backed Hezbollah “a new lease on life” by enabling Tehran to continue directing resources to the Lebanese terror organization.