U.S. to Host Washington Talks Between Israel and Lebanon Next Week

A State Department official confirmed Thursday that Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week, amid mounting concerns that Israel's continued bombings could shatter the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

Iran, the U.S., and Israel agreed to a two-week truce brokered by Pakistan beginning April 8, but the ceasefire came under immediate strain following deadly Israeli strikes in Lebanon. The central dispute was whether Lebanon was ever part of the deal to begin with. Iran claimed Lebanon was covered by the ceasefire agreement and accused the U.S. and Israel of being in violation. Pakistan's mediators backed that interpretation. The U.S. and Israel denied that the ceasefire applied to Israel's offensive against Hezbollah.

Vice President JD Vance attributed the dispute to a "legitimate misunderstanding," saying Iran came to believe Lebanon was covered by the two-week ceasefire even though Washington never agreed to such terms. Iran's response was swift and serious: Tehran threatened to abandon peace talks or keep the Strait of Hormuz closed if strikes on Lebanon continued, putting the entire diplomatic framework at risk.

President Trump asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back Israeli attacks in Lebanon and enter into negotiations. Israel agreed to the Washington talks but made its military posture explicit. A senior Israeli official stated: "No ceasefire in Lebanon. The negotiations with the Lebanese government will begin in the coming days."

Direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon would be historic. The Washington talks are also unfolding against a packed diplomatic calendar. High-level U.S.-Iran negotiations are slated to begin in Islamabad, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif serving as mediator. With Israel signaling it will continue military operations against Hezbollah even as diplomats convene in Washington, the Lebanon track will serve as an early and severe test of whether the broader ceasefire framework can survive contact with the conflict's most volatile front.