Third round of Israel-Lebanon talks to take place with military officials
The third round of Israel-Lebanon talks will open Thursday in Washington, with military representatives joining for the first time. The discussions, held at the State Department, come just before the expiration of the three-week ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon announced by US President Donald Trump.
The Lebanese delegation will include former ambassador to the United States Simon Karam, current ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, and Lebanon’s military attaché in Washington. The Israeli delegation will be led by Israel’s ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and will include a National Security Council representative, IDF Head of Strategy Brig.-Gen. Amichai Levin, and the acting Israeli military attaché in Washington.
An Israeli official said the aim is “to discuss a framework for an agreement in greater depth.” The US delegation will include US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s adviser Michael Needham, and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa.
The Trump administration is pressuring Lebanon to take a significant step to advance talks, including repealing a 1955 law banning normalization with Israel, a demand also raised by Leiter and reportedly by Trump with senior Lebanese leaders.
A source familiar with the talks said, “The Americans are telling the Lebanese: it is time for Beirut to offer something in return as well. So far, Israel has maintained the ceasefire and has taken significant measures to improve the atmosphere, and without action from the Lebanese side, it will be difficult to continue the ceasefire.”
The talks are set for Thursday, with both sides consulting their leaders afterward before returning for another round on Friday.
Ahead of the meeting, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry filed a complaint with the UN Security Council accusing Iran of interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs and dragging it into a war it did not choose. It denied Iranian claims that the transfer of Iranian diplomats to Beirut’s Ramada Hotel, later struck by Israel, had been coordinated with Lebanon, and said some of those killed were not formally registered as diplomats. It also cited additional alleged violations by Iran’s embassy and called for UN accountability.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah officials on Wednesday called on Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to hold a national referendum on direct negotiations with Israel and the possibility of a peace agreement. Hezbollah official Nawaf al-Moussawi, who oversees resources and border affairs for the group, told Qatar’s Al-Araby channel that “President Joseph Aoun has been cornered, and therefore a referendum must be held to determine what the majority of the Lebanese people support.”
Moussawi also claimed President Trump is preparing an ambush for the Lebanese president during his upcoming visit to the United States.
He added: “It is shameful to shake hands with someone who is still killing your people [Netanyahu], whose hands are stained with blood, the man destroying homes in Lebanon, and to offer him peace while part of Lebanon’s land remains occupied. You would become a partner of the enemy in its aggression.”
