News In Brief

Israel proclaims desire to pull its troops out of Lebanon

Israel officially proclaimed on Sunday its aim to withdraw its troops from Lebanon within a short period through US-mediated negotiations with Syria and direct military talks with Lebanon. It did not elaborate on the timing of the withdrawal and said this would be determined by the government.

A senior official said US Undersecretary of State Richard Murphy was due in Israel this week to see what role Washington could play as a mediator between Israel and Syria.