Lebanon and Israel began a new round of talks on Tuesday in Washington, with Beirut determined to press ahead with direct negotiations even as they appear to be overshadowed by Iran's decision to make Lebanon part of its talks with the US
Lebanese officials have insisted that face-to-face negotiations with Israel are the only way to secure an end to the war raging since March 2, when armed group Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran and triggered Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon.
But four rounds of Lebanese-Israeli talks since April have failed to produce a durable ceasefire.
Instead, the longest lull in fighting came this week after Iran and the US agreed a memorandum of understanding that stipulated fighting would halt across all fronts, including Lebanon.
That deal buoyed Iran-backed Hezbollah and dealt a blow to the Lebanese state, whose leaders including President Joseph Aoun had repeatedly warned that Tehran cannot negotiate on Lebanon's behalf.
"Today, and in the coming days, we embark on a new round of talks, which we hope will be decisive in achieving what we desire for the good of our nation and our people," Aoun said in a post on X on Tuesday.
A State Department official said the negotiations would involve military and political delegates from each country and aimed to "advance a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two countries."
"Our shared goal is to end the cycle of violence for good. We are enabling Israel and Lebanon to negotiate as two sovereign states and to find a way to have peace and security," the official said.
LEBANON TO SEEK ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL TIMELINE
But a Lebanese official and two foreign officials working on Lebanon told Reuters the Iran-US deal had pulled the rug out from under the Lebanese state, leaving it in its weakest position yet and throwing into question the utility of its talks with Israel.
The Lebanese official was skeptical that any tangible progress would come out of the negotiations, which are set to last for three days.
"There remains a fundamental problem of trust between us and the Israelis in these talks. We cannot fulfill their demands, and they reject all of ours," the official said.
Lebanon has said that one of its key goals in the talks would be securing an Israeli military withdrawal, but top Israeli officials have said that troops would remain in southern Lebanon indefinitely.
Aoun said on Tuesday Lebanon would "accept nothing less than the complete end of the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and the simultaneous collapse of all foreign tutelage," in an apparent reference to Tehran.
The Lebanese official said that Beirut would demand Israel present a "reasonable" timetable for its withdrawal at this week's talks, describing it as "the only chance we have to generate momentum in these talks, and in this tug-of-war with Iran."
Israel, meanwhile, sees the purpose of the upcoming talks as "disarming Hezbollah and achieving a genuine peace agreement" with Lebanon, according to a briefing by Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer on the eve of the new negotiations.
Mencer said the only impediment to a deal with Lebanon was Hezbollah, "which is why we believe that they should be disarmed and dismantled."
The Lebanese government has moved carefully since 2025 to disarm Hezbollah without confronting the group directly, fearing it would spark a civil conflict.
Hezbollah has rejected disarming in full and has called on the government to withdraw from its direct talks with Israel.
HEZBOLLAH BETS ON IRAN
Aoun first proposed direct talks in March but they only began in mid-April, after the US announced a ceasefire to enable a diplomatic process that Washington said would ultimately lead to a peace deal.
Fierce fighting continued in southern Lebanon as occupying Israeli troops pushed deeper into Lebanese villages.
The US announced a new ceasefire initiative in early June again as part of the Lebanese-Israeli talks, but it was contingent on Hezbollah halting fire and was rejected by the group
Hezbollah expects Iran to demand an Israeli withdrawal as it pursues talks with the US on a final deal, and says the Lebanese government should bet on that track instead of its direct negotiations.
