Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, met on Tuesday with Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh, in what is being described as a historic meeting.
"It was a crushing victory over Hezbollah," said Leiter. "We are on the same side, we and the Lebanese, that the evil of Hezbollah must be eradicated. We are united in this need. We talked about possibilities, a vision for the long term, about how Lebanon can prosper, and what the border could look like when crossed in a swimsuit to vacation on the beaches of both countries."
The ambassador also touched on Israel's refusal to allow French involvement in negotiations, saying, "I don't want the French near these negotiations; they should be as far away as possible. They are not needed, and they are not a positive influence."
The focus of the meeting was on efforts to disarm the terrorist organization Hezbollah, while the broader goal is to open a path toward normalization between Israel and Lebanon.
Meeting included top US officials
The meeting took place at the US State Department and included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, his senior adviser Michael Needham, and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa.
A senior American official said ahead of the meeting, “The goal is to ensure Israel’s long-term security and to support the Lebanese government’s determination to fully restore its sovereignty over its territory and political life.”
The official added that Israel is not at war with Lebanon, but with Hezbollah, and therefore “there is no reason the two neighbors cannot engage in dialogue.”
The US State Department said in a statement after the meeting that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed-upon time and place to continue the negotiations over the Hezbollah situation.
The recent call raised hopes for progress
Last Friday, the two ambassadors held a phone call that Leiter described as “excellent.” In an interview with CBS, he said, “We agreed that if the Hezbollah issue is set aside, the two countries could reach a peace agreement within two to three months. Lebanon and Israel could live under a peace agreement as early as tomorrow.”
In a statement following the call, the Israeli ambassador said Israel agreed to Tuesday’s meeting to help advance a peace agreement with Lebanon. However, he stressed that Israel would not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which continues to attack Israel and remains a key obstacle to peace.
Disarmament remains a central issue
Israeli officials have said in recent weeks that the Lebanese government has not made a genuine effort to disarm Hezbollah. According to them, the US-mediated meeting is intended to push that process forward.
“Without Hezbollah’s disarmament, there will be no peace between the two countries,” one official said.
On the Lebanese side, however, the main priority is securing some form of ceasefire from Israel.
Tensions continue despite reduced activity
Over the past week, following the ceasefire with Iran, Israel has scaled back its military activity in Lebanon at the request of President Donald Trump.
Israeli officials have declined to comment on reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu committed to avoiding operations in Beirut during the ceasefire period between Iran and the United States. Still, no such strikes have occurred since the ceasefire took effect.
An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post, “If we identify a threat to soldiers or civilians, we will act. There is no ceasefire with Hezbollah.”
Lebanon’s President, Joseph Aoun, said Monday that he hopes the meeting will lead to a ceasefire in Lebanon and open the door to direct negotiations between the two countries.
“A solution can be reached - but not unilaterally. Israel must respond to Lebanon’s call and that of the international community and halt its attacks,” he said.