The fifth round of US-brokered ceasefire talks regarding Lebanon is a “train wreck”, Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter has been quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

“This is the fifth round of talks, and I must say — we are in a train wreck,” he says in a statement.

“I fear that the concept of ‘deconfliction’ is misplaced. The only issue is Hezbollah. Hezbollah must be defeated and removed from the equation. Instead, there is a danger that Hezbollah has received a boost. It certainly feels stronger and bolder,” he adds.

Leiter goes on to say that dismantling Hezbollah must remain the basis for any ceasefire talks and questioned whether funds that might now be available to Iran will be used to support Hezbollah.