Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, who serves as the country's representative in talks with Lebanon, said at the opening of the meeting with the delegation from Beirut at the White House that "we have no irreconcilable disputes with the sovereign state of Lebanon or with the Lebanese people," but emphasized that "we must focus on the root of the problem - Hezbollah, and its murderous intentions toward Israel. Lebanon has not fulfilled its commitments to dismantle terrorist infrastructure. The state of Lebanon must recognize the temporary presence of the IDF and Israel's right to defend itself against a hostile force firing at its population."