Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct meeting in decades on Wednesday, a rare diplomatic opening conducted under a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism. Lebanon, however, stressed that the discussions should not be seen as broader peace negotiations.
The two sides met at the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Naqura, Lebanon, near the Israeli border. The venue regularly hosts meetings of the guarantors of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Although Lebanon and Israel have technically been at war since 1948, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the talks were focused solely on fully implementing last year’s truce. He emphasized that the meeting did not constitute peace talks.
Salam said the discussions aimed at securing a cessation of hostilities, the release of Lebanese hostages, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory. Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued air strikes against targets it identifies as Hezbollah-linked and has kept troops in five areas in southern Lebanon, contrary to the truce requirement for a full pullout.
This marks the first time civilian representatives have joined the talks, which had previously been limited to military officials due to the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the atmosphere as positive, adding that both sides agreed to explore ideas for potential economic cooperation. However, Israel reiterated that Hezbollah must disarm regardless of any progress in economic discussions.
The ceasefire mechanism is led by the United States, with France and the United Nations also participating. US Special Envoy for Lebanon Morgan Ortagus attended the meeting, with the US embassy in Beirut welcoming the inclusion of civilian delegates as a step toward facilitating broader political and military discussions aimed at long-term stability.
The United States has been pressing Lebanon to accelerate efforts to disarm Hezbollah, and has encouraged direct talks to reduce regional tensions and weaken Iran’s influence. Salam said Lebanon was open to verification by the mechanism regarding its army’s steps to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons in the south.
Netanyahu has called for Lebanon to join the Abraham Accords, though Salam maintained that normalization must follow genuine peace, not precede it.
The renewed talks came days after the first anniversary of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The truce sought to end more than a year of hostilities triggered by Hezbollah attacks in support of Hamas following the October 7, 2023 assault on Israel.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued strikes aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities. Lebanon’s government has approved a plan for its army to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure south of the Litani River before expanding operations to the rest of the country.
Finding Lebanon’s efforts insufficient, Israel has intensified its strikes in recent weeks. Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that Israel has been preparing for a significant escalation with Hezbollah, which officials believe may be inevitable despite ongoing US efforts to prevent it.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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