Lebanon-Israel talks overshadowed by new US-Iran diplomatic track Lebanon and Israel began a fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington on Tuesday, with Beirut seeking to revive proposals for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon even as a new US-Iran diplomatic channel threatens to overshadow the talks. The three-day negotiations come after four previous rounds failed to produce a lasting ceasefire or bridge the wide gap between the two sides. Lebanon is expected to press for a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people, the release of Lebanese prisoners and the beginning of reconstruction.