Lebanon And Israel Are Holding Their First Direct Diplomatic Talks For The First Time In 30 Years
Israel’s and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the US met and agreed to hold further meetings to develop a peace agreement.
Israel and Lebanon are holding their first direct peace talks in more than 30 years, sparking condemnation in Lebanon over concerns of normalization with Israel.
On April 8, the US, Israel and Iran announced they had agreed to a ceasefire.
Iranian and Pakistani mediators said the deal included Lebanon.
However, Israel said the deal “does not include Lebanon.”
Hours later, Israel launched its largest coordinated strike during the war, with over 100 strikes across Lebanon within 10 minutes, killing over 300 people.
On Tuesday, April 15, Israel’s and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the US met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C., where they agreed to hold further meetings to develop a peace agreement.
Rubio said the talks aim to “outline the framework upon which permanent and lasting peace can be developed.”
Lebanon said it wants a ceasefire before starting any negotiations with Israel, a Lebanese government official told AFP.
It is also asking for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon and for displaced Lebanese to be allowed to return home.
Israel has refused to discuss a ceasefire with Lebanon before Hezbollah is disarmed.
Netanyahu said he wants "the dismantling of Hezbollah's weapons, and a real peace agreement that will last for generations."
Hezbollah has rejected the negotiations and urged the Lebanese government to pull out.
The majority of people in Lebanon condemned the government’s openness to direct talks and possible normalization with Israel, and they see Hezbollah’s disarmament as a dangerous concession.
They argue that giving up Hezbollah’s weapons without a clear defensive strategy would leave southern Lebanon exposed and make it easier for Israel to invade in the future.
Since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran, Israel has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced over one million people in Lebanon.
Hezbollah attacks have killed 12 Israeli soldiers and two civilians in Israel, according to the BBC.
Israel could also be seeking to make a buffer zone along the border and inside Lebanon’s territory to ensure Hezbollah’s disarmament, Israeli media reported, according to Al Jazeera.
On Thursday, April 16, US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that talks between Israel and Lebanon will happen for the first time on the same day.
However, Lebanon said it is "not aware" of any upcoming contact with Israel, an official source told AFP.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that the army command confirmed it had not received any instructions to prepare for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
