Planned direct talks between Lebanon and Israel are expected to go ahead as scheduled on Tuesday in Washington, despite stalled negotiations between the United States and Iran, an official Lebanese source told Nidaa Al-Watan.

The source said Lebanese authorities have successfully ensured that the Lebanon track remains separate from the Iranian file, stressing that efforts led by the presidency and the prime minister’s office have decoupled the two files to prevent their outcomes from becoming intertwined.

Iran, the source added, will not be allowed to intervene or reclaim influence over Lebanon’s negotiating position.

The talks, which would mark a rare instance of direct engagement between the two countries, are set to focus primarily on securing a ceasefire before any broader discussions begin. Lebanon has made a halt to hostilities a precondition for negotiations, though Israeli officials have yet to formally respond. The issue is expected to be addressed during a meeting in Washington between Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanon’s Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad.

The diplomatic push comes amid intensified fighting in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are seeking to establish greater control ahead of the talks. According to the same source, Israel is pressing to capture the strategic town of Bint Jbeil and assert dominance over areas south of the Litani River in an effort to reshape facts on the ground.

Such moves, the source said, are intended to strengthen Israel’s negotiating position by allowing it to enter talks “from a position of strength and firepower,” echoing recent statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz during visits to southern Lebanon.

At the same time, security assessments from the south indicate that Hezbollah fighters are facing increasing operational strain. Supply routes have reportedly been severed, communications disrupted, and units fragmented into smaller, isolated groups operating without centralized command.