(FILES) Israel's ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter speaks to reporters after a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. Lebanon's Simon Karam and Israel's Yechiel Leiter, both political veterans with entrenched views, will come face to face in Washington for talks on May 14 after decades in a state of war. Lebanon and Israel have no formal ties, but the US president is hoping for a historic breakthrough even as Israeli forces remain deployed in south Lebanon to fight Iran-backed Hezbollah. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)