Israel and Lebanon will hold a third round of direct talks in Washington next week amid an extended fragile ceasefire, U.S. State Department officials said Thursday.
The two countries' ambassadors to the United States will meet face to face next Thursday and Friday as part of U.S.-brokered efforts for a durable ceasefire and a potential peace deal between them, said the U.S. officials.
An Israeli official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed that the third-round talks with Lebanon will take place in Washington next Thursday and Friday.
Under the mediation of the United States, ambassadors of the two countries to the United States held two rounds of negotiations on April 14 and April 23, respectively, easing weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, after a U.S.-Iran ceasefire took effect on April 8.
Israel and Lebanon have no formal diplomatic relations, and Hezbollah has long been viewed by Israel as a "proxy" of Iran. The negotiating party with Israel is the Lebanese government, not Hezbollah.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Israeli strikes between March 2 and May 6 have killed 2,715 people and injured 8,353 others in the country.
Israel, Lebanon to hold third round of talks in Washington next week
Five of the eight cases reported from the cruise ship MV Hondius were confirmed as hantavirus infection, and the virus involved is the Andes virus, said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday.
The outbreak aboard the cruise ship has infected eight people and resulted in three deaths, Tedros told a press conference.
"So far, eight cases have been reported, including three deaths. Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, and the other three are suspected," he said.
The virus involved is the Andes virus, according to Tedros.
"The species of hantavirus involved in this case is the Andes virus -- which is found in Latin America and is the only species known to be capable of limited transmission between humans," he said.
The Andes virus, a rare hantavirus found mainly in South America, is a rodent-borne virus capable of limited human-to-human transmission. Previous outbreaks showed transmission typically occurred through close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members and healthcare workers.
Tedros noted that given the incubation period for the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, "it's possible that more cases may be reported."
But he stressed that, "While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low."
The ship is currently sailing for the Canary Islands. Passengers abroad have been asked to remain in their cabins while being disinfected. Anyone who develops symptoms will be isolated immediately.
The director-general noted that the WHO is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with one of the passengers, and each case remains in close contact with the relevant authorities.
"Our priorities are to ensure the affected patients receive care, that the remaining passengers on the ship are kept safe and treated with dignity, and to prevent any further spread of the virus," he said.
Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship involves Andes virus: WHO
