The US State Department said the first high-level meeting between Israel and Lebanon in decades was “productive” and would continue, with the goal of launching direct negotiations.
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What did US, Israel and Lebanon discuss?
In a statement issued after the two-hour meeting in Washington involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors, the State Department said, “All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.”
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott added, “The participants held productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.”
It also described the meeting as the first “major high-level engagement” between Israel and Lebanon since 1993.
During the US-brokered discussions, the Lebanese government indicated it no longer wants to be “occupied” by Hezbollah.
Israel continues to fight Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and has called for the group to be disarmed. Hezbollah opposed the talks and was not represented.
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{{/usCountry}}Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, told reporters on Tuesday that there were also talks around a long-term vision, including clearly defined borders.
"We enjoyed it together. We had a wonderful exchange of over two hours," he said after the talks.
"We discovered today that we're on the same side," he said. "We are both united in liberating Lebanon from (an) occupation power dominated by Iran called Hezbollah."
Marco Rubio joined ambassadors for discussions
Marco Rubio joined both ambassadors for the discussions in Washington. Hezbollah has said it will not abide by any agreement, according to a senior member of its political council, AP reported.
At the same time, tensions in the region have escalated further. The US military said Tuesday it has begun enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports, deepening the standoff with Tehran.
Iran threatened to strike targets across the region after US President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian warships approaching the blockade would face a “quick and brutal” strike.
Pakistan is attempting to facilitate further talks between the US and Iran. Trump said a second round “could be happening over the next two days,” after the first round ended without an agreement on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which the White House has described as a key sticking point.
Neither side has indicated what will happen once the ceasefire expires on April 22.