The third round of talks between Israel and Lebanon ended, with the US saying the meeting was positive.

Washington: The third round of peace talks between Israel and Lebanon has concluded. The talks lasted more than eight hours at the US State Department on Thursday, the Jerusalem Post reported.

According to a US State Department official, the talks were “productive and positive.” Representatives from both countries will meet again on Friday for further discussions. The official said the talks will continue and more information is expected to be shared in the future.

The US mediation in these talks was led by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s advisor Michael Needham, and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa.

The Israeli delegation was led by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yehiel Leiter. He was accompanied by Brigadier General Amichai Levin, Chief of Strategy, a representative from the National Security Council, and the Israeli military representative in Washington. The Lebanese delegation included former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Simon Karam, current Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, and the Lebanese military representative in Washington.

An Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post before the talks that the purpose of the negotiations was to discuss the framework of the agreement in more detail. This is reportedly the first time military representatives have participated in these talks, and the meeting comes just before the expiration of a three-week ceasefire extension announced by the US president on April 23rd.