In brief
- US officials have warned a quick breakthrough is unlikely as Lebanon and Israel start rare direct talks in Washington DC.
- Hezbollah has rejected the talks and stepped up attacks on northern Israel as the discussions got under way.
In a significant diplomatic development, Lebanon and Israel have engaged in their first formal discussions in over three decades. These historic talks, held in the United States, come on the heels of renewed violence between Israel and Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a pivotal role in mediating the discussions, underscoring the meeting as a “historic opportunity” for both nations. However, he cautioned that reaching an immediate agreement was not anticipated.
Despite the groundbreaking nature of these talks, Hezbollah, strongly opposed to direct negotiations, was notably absent from the table. As the discussions commenced, the Iranian-aligned group escalated its attacks on northern Israel, signaling its discontent.
The backdrop to these talks is a broader regional conflict, with Lebanon becoming entangled in the ongoing tensions between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. The situation intensified following coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Hezbollah to launch a retaliatory rocket attack on northern Israel on March 2.
In response to Hezbollah’s aggression, Israel launched a comprehensive air assault and expanded its military operations with a ground invasion into southern Lebanon. This escalation underscores the complex geopolitical dynamics at play as Lebanon and Israel tentatively explore diplomatic avenues.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since the fighting broke out, according to the country’s health ministry. A dozen Israeli soldiers and two civilians were killed in the same period, according to Israeli officials.
More than a million people have been displaced.
The deadliest day of the war took place last week, when Israel launched 100 air strikes across Lebanon in 10 minutes, including in the heart of the capital, Beirut, killing more than 350 people.
The Israeli and Lebanese governments were meeting to discuss ways to ensure long-term security on Israel’s northern border and support for Lebanon seeking to take control of its territory and political future from Hezbollah, a US state department official said.
The talks are the first between Israel and Lebanon since 1993. Despite Hezbollah’s outright rejection, the talks are a major step for two countries with no diplomatic relations that have been officially at war since Israel’s inception in 1948.
What do Israel, Lebanon and Hezbollah want?
Lebanon wants a truce as a prerequisite to negotiations, similar to what Pakistan brokered between the US and Iran.
“Israel’s destruction of Lebanese territories is not the solution, nor will it yield any results,” Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday. Aoun came to power vowing to disarm non-state groups, including Hezbollah.
“Diplomatic solutions have consistently proven to be the most effective means of resolving armed conflicts globally.”
Israel has ruled out a ceasefire and said the goal is Hezbollah’s disarmament and a potential peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel. Foreign minister Gideon Saar on Tuesday denied having disputes with Lebanon, and said “the problem is Hezbollah”.
Some Israeli officials have said aim of the ground invasion of Lebanon was to create a “security zone” from the border to the Litani River, 30km to the north.
Hezbollah and its supporters called the talks a free concession to Israel unless there is first an end to the war and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.
Secretary-general Naim Kassem said Hezbollah wants a return to the 2024 agreement, with indirect talks mediated by the US, France and the United Nations peacekeeping mission.
Who is involved in the talks?
Rubio and US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz attended the opening of the session at the state department that is being led by US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad.
While Iran has set ending the wars in Lebanon and the region as a condition for talks with the US, Lebanon insists on representing itself.
Hezbollah and other critics maintain that Lebanon’s government lacks leverage and that it should instead back Iran’s position.
Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of the militant group’s political council, told the Associated Press that it will not abide by any agreements that are made during the talks.
Israel’s defence minister says hundreds of thousands of people uprooted from southern Lebanon will not be allowed to return home until the area is demilitarised and Israel believes its northern communities are safe.
Hezbollah, though weakened in its last war with Israel that ended in November 2024, still fires drones, rockets and artillery daily into northern Israel and on ground troops inside Lebanon.
Hezbollah enjoys wide influence in Beirut’s southern suburbs as well as large swaths of the country’s southern and eastern provinces.
Hezbollah-allied politicians hold two cabinet minister positions although the group’s ties have soured with Lebanon’s top political authorities, who have been critical of Hezbollah’s decision to enter the war last month and who have since criminalised the group’s military activities in the country.
The talks are the first between Israel and Lebanon since 1993.
Both countries have relied on indirect communication, often brokered by the United States or UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli and Lebanese governments were meeting to discuss ways to ensure long-term security on Israel’s northern border and support for Lebanon seeking to take control of its territory and political future from Hezbollah, a US State Department official said.
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