Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors are expected to convene again at the State Department on Thursday for a second round of meetings amid the latest conflagration in the Middle East.

The first direct negotiations between the two states since 1993 are intended as preparatory meetings to shape future talks on a deal to normalize ties between the countries.

Thursday's meeting is expected to focus on extending a shaky ceasefire that has halted fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

The technocratic government in Beirut, which came to power in 2025, is juggling dual pressure campaigns -- sustained Israeli attacks and seizure of Lebanese territory on one hand and the internal threat of Hezbollah and its Iranian backers on the other.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday that the goal of the negotiations was to "stop hostilities, end the Israeli occupation of southern regions and deploy the [Lebanese] army all the way to the internationally recognized southern borders."

Paul Salem, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank, told ABC news that Thursday's talks are "historically significant in what they might eventually lead to," but framed the meetings as the first steps on a long and difficult road.

The government in Beirut is facing "a prolonged conundrum," Salem said. "Iran is insisting on maintaining its presence and backing Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah seems to be happy to continue to play their role with Iran."

And in southern Lebanon, Israel seems intent on a devastating campaign and seizure of land which its Defense Minister Israel Katz has repeatedly said will be modeled on the destruction of Gaza.

"The Lebanese state needs to be able to bolster its credibility by not allowing a long-term Israeli occupation," Salem said.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office published a statement to X on Thursday alleging that Israel's "deliberate and consistent targeting of journalists" is aimed at "concealing the truth of its aggressive acts against Lebanon."

The president's statement came after Israeli forces killed journalist Amal Khalil, who worked for Lebanon's Al Akhbar newspaper, in an attack in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

Lebanese authorities said Khalil was directly targeted and accused Israeli forces of firing on rescue workers trying to reach her. Journalist Zainab Faraj was also injured in the attack, authorities said.

Such attacks constitute "crimes against humanity," Aoun's office said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the killing in a post to X, in which he described Israeli actions as "war crimes."

-ABC News' Kevin Shalvey

U.S. Central Command said in a post to X on Wednesday night that it had directed 31 vessels "to turn around or return to port" as part of the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping.

-ABC News' Kevin Shalvey

A Lebanese journalist was among those killed in strikes on a town in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, Lebanese officials said, while accusing Israel of targeting journalists.

Amal Khalil and her colleague, Zeinab Faraj, had taken shelter in a nearby house following a strike on Al-Tayri, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said in a statement published by the country's official National News Agency (NNA). The health ministry said the house was targeted in a second strike.

Rescuers arrived on scene and transported Faraj, who was injured, and the bodies of two others to a hospital, the health ministry said. The first responders were unable to rescue Khalil because Israeli forces "obstructed the humanitarian mission, firing a stun grenade at the ambulance and targeting it with gunfire," according to the health ministry.

The Lebanese Red Cross later announced that it had found Khalil's body beneath the rubble, according to NNA. Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos also confirmed Khalil's death, saying in a social media post: "Targeting journalists is a heinous crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which we will not tolerate."

When asked for comment, the Israel Defense Forces referred ABC News to an earlier statement that said it carried out airstrikes targeting individuals who had violated the ceasefire and approached Israeli troops "in a manner that posed an immediate threat to their safety."

The IDF noted in the statement: "Reports were received that two journalists were injured as a result of the strikes. The IDF is not preventing rescue teams from reaching the area. The details of the incident are under review."

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Khalil was a reporter for Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar and Faraj is a freelance photojournalist. Both were on assignment at the time of the attack, it said.