US to host Lebanon-Israel talks next week, Israeli official says

Direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are set to begin next week in Washington, a senior Israeli official said. The announcement marks the first direct Israeli-Lebanese talks hosted by the United States and comes after Lebanon on Thursday rejected Iran's negotiating on its behalf.

A senior Lebanese official told Al-Monitor that the Trump administration relayed to Beirut on Wednesday its support for Lebanon to handle its negotiations with Israel, separate from talks taking place with Iran this weekend in Pakistan. The official said that Beirut has not yet received a formal invitation to the negotiations and added that the government has requested that talks and a ceasefire be announced simultaneously, "similar to the Pakistani model." 

An Israeli official told Al-Monitor that the first meeting between the two sides will take place at the State Department. Israel will be represented by its ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, while Lebanon’s delegation will be headed by Ambassador to Washington Nada Hamadeh Moawad. Leading the US delegation will be Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa. The senior Lebanese official, however, said that Simon Karam, Lebanon’s former ambassador to the United States, who is currently leading civilian-level talks with Israel, would represent the Lebanese delegation.

Al-Monitor contacted the White House, the State Department and the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, but they were not immediately available for comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has instructed his government to “open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible” and focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations. “The negotiations will focus on ‌disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful ‌relations between ⁠Israel and ⁠Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. He added that “Israel appreciates the call made today by the prime minister of Lebanon to demilitarize Beirut.” 

In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Wednesday with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. However, a senior Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor that France was “not at all involved” in the contacts that led to Netanyahu’s decision to open direct talks. Macron offered to host direct talks between Lebanon and Israel last month.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said after a cabinet meeting Thursday that Beirut should become a "demilitarized city." Following that same cabinet meeting, Salam said that "negotiations must be conducted solely by the Lebanese state." 

The remarks follow intense Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon on Wednesday that killed at least 250 people. Iranian officials warned that continued attacks could jeopardize Tehran’s participation in upcoming talks with the US in Islamabad. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X Wednesday, "The US must choose between a ceasefire or continued war via Israel. The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the US court and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments."

After Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel on March 2 in support of Iran, the Israeli military began a ground invasion in southern Lebanon. Since then, evacuation orders have affected roughly 15% of the country. In late March, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel intends to establish a “security zone” extending to the Litani River, located 20 to 30 kilometers (12 to 18 miles) from the border.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had completed deployment along a strategic “anti-tank line” several kilometers inside southern Lebanon. Israeli reports indicate Israeli troops are operating in an area near Tyre — about 8 kilometers (5 miles) inside Lebanese territory — as well as in other villages across southern and central Lebanon.

This is a developing story and will be updated.