Negotiations under bombs: Israel and Lebanon to meet in Washington without a ceasefire agreement

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that his cabinet had authorized direct talks with Lebanon "as soon as possible." It is a step that Lebanon had repeatedly requested, but the two sides disagree on a fundamental question even before the negotiations begin — whether a ceasefire should be in effect during them. Jerusalem Post ↗

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, at the headquarters of the U.S. State Department in Washington. Negotiating for Israel will be Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, and for Lebanon, Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad. The talks will be moderated by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa — this is therefore a U.S.-moderated trilateral negotiation, not a classic bilateral summit. CBS News ↗

The paradox of negotiations under bombs

Leiter confirmed the Tuesday meeting on Friday, but at the same time declared that "Israel has refused to discuss a ceasefire with the terrorist organization Hezbollah." Netanyahu indicated that Israel wants to use the negotiations primarily to address the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament and the broader security arrangement. Israel's Chief of the General Staff added that the army would "continue to fight Hezbollah with great intensity." Jerusalem Post ↗

Lebanon holds the opposite position. Beirut has repeatedly stressed that it "will not negotiate under fire." Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have asked the U.S. to mediate at least a temporary halt to the strikes before Tuesday's meeting. According to sources cited by Axios, Lebanon and the U.S. have asked Israel for a "gesture" in the form of a pause in airstrikes before the talks begin. Asharq Al-Awsat ↗

Wednesday's Israeli strikes on Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera, claimed at least 300 victims and more than 1,150 wounded, making it one of the bloodiest days of the conflict. Al Jazeera ↗

Beirut attempts to assert state control over the security agenda

A fundamental shift in the dynamics of the negotiations is the position of the Lebanese state. President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam have pushed the line that "the future of Lebanon is negotiated exclusively by the state, not by Hezbollah." The government has banned Hezbollah's military operations in Beirut and restricted weapons in the capital to legitimate security forces. Asharq Al-Awsat ↗

Hezbollah reacted sharply to this development. Member of Parliament Ali Fayyad rejected direct negotiations with Israel and insisted on a ceasefire as a condition for any further steps. Representatives of the movement accused Prime Minister Salam of "treason." Nevertheless, the party, which holds 15 parliamentary seats, faces growing pressure as the state takes control of both the security agenda and diplomacy. Al Jazeera ↗

Why this complicates U.S.-Iran negotiations

Lebanon has become, according to CBS News, "one of the most complex issues complicating the nascent diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran." At the heart of the problem is confusion over the scope of the ceasefire that Trump negotiated with Tehran. Several parties, including Pakistan, initially understood the agreement to apply to the entire Middle East, including Lebanon. However, after a phone call between Netanyahu and Trump, the American position changed — Lebanon was not included in the agreement. CBS News ↗

Iran's foreign minister accused the U.S. of "letting Netanyahu kill diplomacy." Vice President J.D. Vance admitted that Israel had promised to "tone it down a bit" in Lebanon, suggesting American pressure toward de-escalation. However, if Lebanon remains unresolved, it jeopardizes the entire framework of the U.S.-Iran negotiations currently taking place in Islamabad. CBS News ↗

France left out in the cold

An interesting detail is the exclusion of France from the negotiations. Paris had attempted to mediate talks between the parties, but Israel rejected the French initiative. According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel blamed Lebanon for failing to prevent Hezbollah attacks, which forced Israeli military operations on Lebanese territory, and did not consider French mediation to be strict enough. Jerusalem Post ↗

Tuesday's meeting will thus be a purely American-Israeli-Lebanese affair, reinforcing Washington's role as the sole mediator in the region.