Israel, Lebanon set for first direct talks in decades on ceasefire, Hezbollah disarmament

The U.S.-hosted meeting in Washington put Israel and Lebanon back into direct diplomatic contact for the first time in decades, but officials close to the talks have cast it as a narrow, preparatory step rather than a breakthrough. The session, held Tuesday at the State Department with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected to take part, was meant to lay out a framework for future negotiations rather than settle the conflict in one sitting.

The Israeli side is represented by Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, while Lebanon is sending Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad. Lebanon’s presidency said Friday that the agenda would include a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war and a start date for negotiations between the two neighbors under U.S. auspices. Israeli officials want the discussion to move toward Hezbollah’s disarmament and some form of peaceful relations. Lebanon has taken a more cautious line, saying a ceasefire must come first before broader talks can begin.

The meeting carries weight precisely because it is so limited. An official briefed on Israel’s strategy described it as “preparatory,” underscoring how little room there is for overreading a single round of diplomacy after more than a month of fighting. The current war has already exacted a steep toll, with Lebanese officials saying Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million, while Hezbollah fire has killed Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Pressure on Beirut rose again on Monday when Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem urged the Lebanese government to cancel the meeting, calling it pointless and saying the group would keep confronting Israeli attacks. Hezbollah has also said it would not abide by any agreement reached through the talks, a reminder that even direct contact between governments does not guarantee compliance on the ground.

The last direct Israel-Lebanon negotiations were held in 1983, when George Shultz helped broker the May 17 Agreement after Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. That accord was never ratified by Lebanon, and the failure of that earlier effort still hangs over this new round. Even so, the fact that both countries are sending ambassadors into the same room in Washington marks a rare opening created by war, U.S. pressure and the hard limits of the battlefield.