Lebanon focused on halting hostilities before peace talks with Israel: Minister

Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghassan Salame says the government is focused on securing an immediate halt to hostilities before any peace talks with Israel are held. “We are talking about a preparatory meeting at ambassador level in order to produce a pause in military activity, if not a ceasefire, so the shelling and bombardment stop,” Salame told Al Jazeera. “It’s a preliminary meeting taking place in Washington tomorrow,” he added, noting that Lebanon does not have “much leverage”. Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors are set to meet on Tuesday at the US State Department to discuss a pathway to a ceasefire.