Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced on Thursday that a second round of talks with Israel will take place later this month, one day after Lebanese and Israeli officials held their first direct civilian-level talks since 1991.
What happened: Speaking at the opening of a Lebanese cabinet meeting on Thursday, Aoun said that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Dec. 19. Wednesday's talks "paved the way for upcoming sessions," the Lebanese president said in a statement that emphasized, "The language of negotiation should prevail over the language of war."
Aoun's confirmation followed a meeting Wednesday between officials from both countries in Naqoura under a mechanism established by the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Wednesday’s session, brokered by the United States, marked the first time the two sides held civilian-level talks since the Madrid Conference in 1991.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had said in a statement Wednesday that “the sides agreed to hold a follow-up discussion” but did not provide details on the timing.
Lebanon's delegation was led by former Ambassador to the US Simon Karam, while Israel’s was headed by Uri Resnick, the National Security Council’s senior director for foreign policy. The US was represented by Morgan Ortagus, its deputy special envoy to the Middle East.
As Al-Monitor's Rina Bassist reported, Ortagus met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week and indicated that the Trump administration would not support a large-scale Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon, a move that helped push Israel toward the Naqoura talks. The US has also been exerting pressure on the Lebanese side to advance its demilitarization of Hezbollah. Axios reported on Wednesday that US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa helped bring Lebanon to the table.
On Thursday, Karam met with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and briefed him on the outcomes of the meeting. According to NNA, Salam said that Karam's involvement in the talks “marks an important step in advancing the committee’s work.”
More context: Netanyahu’s statement late Wednesday said the talks took place in a “good atmosphere” and that the two sides would formulate ideas “to advance possible economic cooperation.” The statement added, “The disarmament of Hezbollah is obligatory, regardless of the advancement of economic cooperation.”
However, Salam told reporters Wednesday that talks on economic cooperation between the two sides would be a part of normalization, which “will follow peace" and "cannot precede peace.” He added, “We are far from being there.”
He added that “Hezbollah must live up to its commitments.” Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected calls for its disarmament. In a speech last Friday, Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that another war with Israel was “possible” and said the group reserved the right to respond to Israel’s recent killing of Hezbollah’s top military official.
Still, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said Israel continued to launch strikes on southern Lebanon despite the diplomatic advancement, targeting the towns of Mahrouna, Jbaa, Majdal and Baraashit. According to NNA, the strike in Mahrouna targeted a building in the middle of a “densely populated residential neighborhood” and caused damage to neighboring buildings and homes.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that its strikes had targeted Hezbollah weapons storage facilities “located in the heart of civilian population” in southern Lebanon. So far, no casualties have been reported.
The strikes are the latest in a series of Israeli attacks despite the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which called for both sides to halt hostilities and limit military activity in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese army, for Israel to withdraw from occupied positions within 60 days and for Hezbollah to pull its fighters north of the Litani River. The deal also established a US-led international mechanism to monitor ceasefire violations.
Know more: On Thursday, Iran — Hezbollah's main backer — invited Lebanon's foreign minister to visit Tehran. According to a statement from its Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi invited his counterpart, Youssef Rajji, to Tehran soon "to discuss the development of bilateral relations and review regional and international developments."
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