Having reached an agreement for mediated talks on demarcating the border with Lebanon and on other issues, Israeli leaders hope to cement Beirut’s engagement to drive Hezbollah militants out of southern Lebanon and across the Litani River.

This week, an unnamed senior Israeli political official expressed hope that the demarcation talks could move the two countries toward normalization of diplomatic ties.

"Both us and the Americans believe that following the changes in Lebanon, this could be possible. Lebanon has demands over the border, but so do we. We will discuss that," the senior political official was quoted by Ynet as saying. By changes in Lebanon, he was referring to the inauguration of a new president, the military weakening of Hezbollah, and the prospect of parliamentary elections in 2026. 

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff apparently shares the same optimism. Addressing the American Jewish Committee Feb. 26 in Washington, he said, “Lebanon, by the way, could actually mobilize and come into the Abraham peace accords, as could potentially Syria. So, so many profound changes are happening.”