Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Al-Monitor that Israel will only be able to defang Hezbollah if it reaches an agreement with the Lebanese government.
Israel will embrace a peace treaty with Lebanon only if President Donald Trump pressures Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do so, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Al-Monitor.
Al-Monitor's interview with Olmert took place amid an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire announced by Trump on April 16. Netanyahu subsequently said that Israel agreed to the ceasefire to advance Hezbollah’s disarmament and encourage peace talks with Lebanon.
Israel’s ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter held a historic meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh, at the State Department on April 14. According to Ynet, the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States may hold a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday, though the report has not been confirmed.
While Israel has paused its aerial bombardment in recent days, its forces remain in a buffer zone inside southern Lebanon, occupying areas where Lebanese civilians are barred from returning. More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by the current fighting.
