Efforts to extend the ceasefire in Lebanon are accelerating amid Israeli reports of a new round of talks at the ambassador level paving the way for direct negotiations.
Lebanese officials say a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and US President Donald Trump could be scheduled “at any moment,” stressing it will remain bilateral and will not include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has confirmed a US push to extend the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. However, official Lebanese sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Beirut does not view the expected talks as limited to extending the truce, which expires at the end of the week.
The next step, the sources said, would be direct negotiations. Lebanon is ready to proceed after naming its delegation head, Ambassador Simon Karam, and preparing the necessary files.
Lebanese and Israeli representatives will hold talks in Washington on Thursday, a US State Department spokesperson told Reuters on Monday.
Aoun said Lebanon would conduct the talks through a delegation led by Karam, stressing no other party would represent or replace it.
Lebanese ministerial sources said the meeting would focus on extending the truce and setting a framework for direct negotiations, including their timing and location.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa met Aoun and Berri after returning to Beirut following the ceasefire announcement, without making public statements.
Berri confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington is working to extend the truce but declined to comment on direct negotiations.
In a statement, Aoun noted the goal of the talks is to halt hostilities, end Israel’s presence in southern areas and deploy the Lebanese army along internationally recognized borders.
Trump had shown understanding of Lebanon’s position and intervened to help secure the ceasefire and launch a negotiating track aimed at restoring full Lebanese sovereignty, he remarked.
“The choice is between continued war, with its humanitarian, social and economic costs, or negotiations to end it and achieve lasting stability,” Aoun stated.
Hezbollah, for its part, has criticized the move toward direct talks. MP Hassan Fadlallah told AFP it would be in Lebanon’s interest to abandon that path and return to a national consensus, warning against unilateral decisions on issues tied to the country’s future.
He said the group would oppose any attempt to impose political concessions, calling for a sustained ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced residents, the release of detainees and reconstruction.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Paul Morcos stressed that the Lebanese president values Saudi Arabia’s role in securing the ceasefire, noting Riyadh’s diplomacy contributed to the truce.
Lebanon continues to count on Saudi and broader Gulf support, he said, describing those ties as strategic and based on shared principles, including sovereignty and independence.
