3rd round of Israel-Lebanon talks open in Washington, Israel

JERUSALEM, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Israeli and Lebanese officials began a third round of peace talks in Washington on Thursday, an Israeli government official told Xinhua.

The talks are expected to continue on Friday, though it was unclear whether the sides were close enough to make progress.

The negotiations are being held at the U.S. State Department, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Israel is represented by its ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, and senior security officials, while Lebanon's delegation includes its ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, and former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Simon Karam.

According to the Israeli official, the talks are being held to disarm Hezbollah and reach an agreement to form official ties with Lebanon.

Israel wants to preserve freedom to carry out air and ground operations against Hezbollah until an agreement is reached, while Lebanon is demanding an Israeli withdrawal from its territory, a halt to Israeli strikes and an end to the destruction of villages near the border.

The current round of fighting began on March 2, as Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel, without causing damage. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion.