US hosts ‘rare’ direct talks between Lebanon and Israel

• European nations, Rubio urge both sides to ‘seize the opportunity’ to end conflict
• Joint statement says direct negotiations can pave way for lasting security
• Lebanese president hopes meeting will ‘mark the beginning of ending the suffering’ as Beirut seeks ceasefire

WASHINGTON: Foreign ministers from 17 countries, including the UK, urged Israel and Lebanon to “seize this opportunity” as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks in decades between Israeli and Lebanese envoys in Washington.

Mr Rubio opened the meeting between Israel’s ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and his Lebanese counterpart Nada Hamadeh Moawad, saying he hoped the talks could begin a process to permanently end the conflict in Lebanon and prevent Hezbollah, which he called a “terrorist proxy of Iran”, from threatening Israel.

The meeting marked a rare encounter between representatives of governments that have remained technically in a state of war since Israel was established in 1948.

“This is a process, not an event. This is more than just one day. This will take time, but we believe it is worth this endeavour, and it’s a historic gathering that we hope to build on. And the hope today is that we can outline the framework upon which a permanent, lasting peace can be developed,” Mr Rubio said.

“This is a historic opportunity. We understand we’re working against decades of history and the complexities that have led us to this unique moment and the opportunity here,” Mr Rubio said as he welcomed the ambassadors at the State Department.

His remarks came as Bri­tain’s foreign ministry posted the at least 17 ministers’ joint statement saying that “direct negotiations can pave the way to bring lasting security for Lebanon and Israel as well as the region”. The countries incl­uded the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Cy­­p­rus, Den­mark, Finland, Fra­nce, Greece, Iceland, Luxe­mbourg, Malta, the Nether­la­nds, Norway, Port­ugal, Slove­nia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

The two countries went into their first direct negotiations since 1983 with conflicting agendas, with Israel ruling out discussion of a ceasefire and demanding that Beirut disarm Hezbollah.

The meeting comes at a critical juncture in the crisis in the Middle East, a week into a fragile ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran, Reuters reported.

According to Iran, Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon must be included in any agreement to end the wider war, complicating talks mediated by Pakistan aimed at averting further economic fallout.

The conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 led to the largest oil supply disruption in history, piling pressure on President Trump to find an off-ramp.

State Department Coun­selor Michael Needham, US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, and US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, a personal friend of Trump, were also participating in the talks on Tuesday.

Lebanon seeks ceasefire

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement on X as the meeting started that he hoped it would “mark the beginning of ending the suffering of the Lebanese people in general, and the southerners in particular”.

The Lebanese government called for negotiations with Israel despite objections from Hezbollah, reflecting worsening tensions between the Shi’ite Muslim group and its opponents.

Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran on March 2, sparking an Israeli offensive that has killed more than 2,000 people and forced 1.2 million from their homes, according to Lebanese authorities.

Lebanese officials said Moa­wad only has authority to discuss a ceasefire in Tuesday’s meeting. But Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said Israel would not discuss a ceasefire.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters in Jerusalem ahead of the meeting that talks would focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah, which he said must take place before Israel and Lebanon could sign any peace agreement and normalise relations.

He said Hezbollah was a problem for Israel’s security and Lebanon’s sovereignty that needed to be addressed to move relations to a different phase. “We want to reach peace and normalisation with the state of Lebanon,” he said.

The Lebanese state has been seeking to disarm Hezbollah peacefully since a war between the militia and Israel in 2024. Any move by Lebanon to disarm it by force risks igniting conflict in a country shattered by civil war from 1975 to 1990. Moves against Hezbollah by a Western-backed government in 2008 prompted a short civil war. The current government banned Hezbollah’s military wing after it opened fire on Israel last month.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2026