AXIOS (Barak Ravid) - Rubio to host Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors for talks amid ceasefire effort
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host on Tuesday a meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington, D.C., to launch direct negotiations between the countries. Why it matters: The talks, which will take place amid fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and a wide-ranging Israeli ground invasion in southern Lebanon, are going to focus on the possibility of a ceasefire and on longer term disarming of Hezbollah, along with a peace deal between the countries, sources say. - This is going to be the most high-level direct meeting between Israel and Lebanon since 1993. - In addition to Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, State Department Counselor Michael Needham, Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese…