In a rare diplomatic opening, Washington is gearing to mediate between Israel and Lebanon, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio set to host Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors for direct talks, marking the highest-level diplomatic engagement between the two sides in more than three decades.
The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday in the American capital, will bring together Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh, alongside senior US officials including Rubio, Ambassador Michel Issa and State Department Counsellor Michael Needham.
The meeting marks the most significant direct contact between Israel and Lebanon since 1993, as the two nations’ diplomatic relationship has remained mired in decades of hostility and indirect communication.
The talks, which are taking place amid heavy fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, are going to focus primarily on the possibility of a ceasefire, along with longer term disarmament of Hezbollah, and broad ranging peace deal between Jerusalem and Beirut.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far rejected all proposals from Lebanon for direct engagement, though amid reported pressuring from President Donald Trump to de-escalate tensions, Netanyahu agreed to the Washington meeting as a first step toward dialogue, reports Axios.
In the lead-up, both the Lebanese government and the Trump administration urged Israel to pause its strikes.
While Netanyahu had signalled some restraint by scaling down attacks on Beirut, military operations have continued on ground as they had before, particularly in Bint Jbeil, which is a stronghold for the Islamist militants in Lebanon’s southern area.
Calling the talks necessary, a US State Department official said “As a direct result of Hezbollah’s reckless actions, the Israeli and Lebanese governments are engaging in open, direct, high-level diplomatic talks.”
“Israel is at war with Hezbollah, not Lebanon, so there is no reason the two neighbours should not be talking,” the State Department official added.
The goal, as per Washington, is to address immediate security concerns while laying the groundwork for creating a stronger, more durable, agreement for reaching long-term peace, and ensuring stability along Israel’s northern border, while enabling Lebanon to reassert control over its territory and political system.
