US pressure prompted Israel-Lebanon talks to avert war with Hezbollah
According to an Israeli security source, US envoy Morgan Ortagus’ visit was perceived in Israel as a warning that President Donald Trump will not accept Israel launching a large military campaign in southern Lebanon.
Under pressure from the Trump administration to avoid a new war in Lebanon, Israel on Wednesday sent senior National Security Council official Uri Resnick to meet with Lebanese representatives in Naqoura — a step that, an Israeli security source told Al-Monitor, reflects US warnings that its support could shift if Israel moves toward a major military operation in Lebanon. The talks are the first direct encounter between Israeli and Lebanese civilian officials since 1991 and signal a tentative opening for deescalation.
According to the security source, US envoy Morgan Ortagus' visit to Israel this week was perceived as a warning that the American position might shift — and that President Donald Trump will not accept Israel launching a large military campaign in southern Lebanon.
Israeli National Security Council senior official Uri Resnick participated Wednesday in a meeting in Naqoura with Lebanese representatives, marking the first sign of a possible deescalation of tensions between the two countries. Israeli sources, however, stressed that the encounter focused on civil-economic issues rather than security matters.
Announcing the meeting Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the head of the National Security Council to send a representative on his behalf to meet with “Lebanese governmental-economic officials.” He added that the move constituted “a first attempt to create a basis for a relationship and for economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon.”
