Lebanon and Israel will hold a new round of talks in Washington on June 22, focusing on Israeli withdrawal from a "pilot zone," and Lebanon will send military delegates to the meeting given the issue's importance, Lebanese media reported Saturday.
According to the report, Israeli troops are expected to pull out of the "pilot zone" in coordination with the Lebanese army, which will also carry out a weapons control plan in those areas.
Israel had previously rejected Bint Jbeil as the first pilot zone and put the talks on hold. Eventually, both sides agreed to consider the Nabatieh area as a possible alternative.
Israel and Lebanon have been holding direct talks on border security and other issues recently, with the United States acting as mediator. But the two sides remain far apart on the question of Hezbollah's armed forces and ceasefire arrangements.
According to a statement following earlier negotiations, both parties agreed to move swiftly on setting up a "pilot zone" where the Lebanese military would have sole control — effectively ruling out any "non-state actors."
Lebanon-Israel talks set for June 22: media
Lebanon-Israel talks set for June 22: media
Lebanon-Israel talks set for June 22: media
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 689, including 139 deaths, according to the latest situation report released on Friday by the country's health authorities.
A total of 17 new confirmed cases, including five deaths, were reported on Thursday, all in the eastern province of Ituri, the report said. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has affected 29 health zones across three eastern provinces, namely Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
A total of 168 suspected cases, including 64 deaths, had been reported as of Thursday.
The report also highlighted several operational challenges, including reluctance to undergo post-mortem swabbing, insufficient capacity in Ebola treatment centers, shortages of infection prevention and control materials in North Kivu, weak alert reporting across the three provinces, and a funding gap of 21.5 million U.S. dollars.
Two Ebola-related deaths have been reported in a camp for internally displaced people in Ituri, according to a report released on Thursday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The current outbreak, officially declared on May 15 by the DRC's health ministry, is the country's 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was identified in 1976.
Ebola cases in DR Congo rise to 689, death toll reaches 139
