Lebanese deeply divided over chances of peace talks with Israel

As a third round of direct talks take place in the United States between Lebanon and Israel, residents of Beirut are sharply divided over the discussions.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues in southern Lebanon despite a US-backed truce declared last month.

And Israel, which still occupies parts of the south, insists the group must disarm for there to be peace.

Beirut resident, Faisal Nsouli, said he believes there is hope for peace, but that this comes with conditions.

“The hope is for Hezbollah’s weapons to be handed over to the state so that it can regain full sovereignty and independence over its territory, like any normal country in the world," he said.

Israel intensified attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles over the border on 2 March, three days into the US-Israel war on Iran.

Lebanese officials estimate that at least 2,896 people have been killed and more than a million displaced since then.

One of those is Malak Al-Mousawi who was forced to leave her home in the north-eastern city of Baalbek.

She insisted that Israel has never “set a humanitarian example or acted with humanity” and that any deal would be "100 per cent” in its favour.

“Its problem is its arrogance and it looks at anyone with a different culture or belief with a racist view. So no one should expect to live comfortably with Israel," she said.

Lebanon is hoping that the two-day talks will yield a new ceasefire deal and pave the way for dealing with a series of issues, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the south and Hezbollah’s disarmament.

But in a letter released earlier this week, Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem dismissed the Washington talks saying his group would "not abandon the battlefield".

Donald Trump’s administration has been pushing for a breakthrough between the two neighbours that have been officially in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948.