Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades on Wednesday under a year-old ceasefire monitoring framework, though Lebanon’s prime minister stressed that the country remains “far from” establishing diplomatic or economic ties with Israel despite the move toward direct negotiations.
The meeting took place at the UN peacekeeping force’s headquarters in Naqura, near the Israeli border, where the guarantors of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah regularly convene.
Although Lebanon and Israel have technically been at war since 1948, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the new discussions are strictly focused on implementing last year’s truce. “We are not yet at peace talks,” he told reporters.
Salam added that the talks aim only to achieve “the cessation of hostilities,” the “release of Lebanese hostages,” and “the complete Israeli withdrawal” from Lebanese territory.
With no formal diplomatic relations, Lebanon and Israel have officially remained at war since 1948. The decision to hold civilian-level talks appears to be a step toward the direct bilateral negotiations that the United States has been advocating.
Israel has continued air strikes in Lebanon, generally targeting Hezbollah members and installations, and has maintained troops in five southern areas despite the ceasefire’s requirement for a full withdrawal. Until now, both countries had limited participation in the ceasefire mechanism to military officials only.
“Today’s meeting in Lebanon is an initial attempt to establish a basis for a relationship and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon. This is a historic development,” said Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“This is the first step to paving a path with Lebanon and it’s clear the Lebanese recognise the economic challenges they are facing.”
The ceasefire mechanism is orchestrated by the United States, and also includes the involvement of France and the UN.
The US embassy in Beirut said in a statement that Morgan Ortagus, the US special envoy for Lebanon, also attended Wednesday’s meeting.
The United States has been piling pressure on Lebanon to rapidly disarm Hezbollah.
Washington’s embassy welcomed the inclusion of the civilian representatives – former Lebanese ambassador to the US Simon Karam and Israeli National Security Council official Uri Resnick – in the ceasefire mechanism.
“Their inclusion reflects the Mechanism’s commitment to facilitating political and military discussions with the aim of achieving security, stability, and a durable peace for all communities affected by the conflict,” it said.
Ortagus was in Jerusalem a day earlier, where she met with Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
The United States has pushed for direct talks between the two neighbours in a bid to stabilise the region and further weaken Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Lebanon should join the Abraham Accords, under which a handful of Arab and Muslim countries have normalised ties with Israel.
In 1983, after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, the two countries held direct talks, resulting in the signing of an agreement that would have established relations. It was never ratified.
Salam said on Wednesday that “normalisation will follow peace. It cannot precede peace.”
– ‘Basis for relationship’ –
The new talks came days after the first anniversary of the start of the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
The ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities that erupted after the militant group launched attacks in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, saying it seeks to stop the group from rebuilding its military capabilities.
Under a government-approved plan, the Lebanese army is set to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani river by the end of the year, before tackling the rest of the country.
Judging the Lebanese efforts insufficient, Israel has ramped up its strikes in recent weeks.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Tuesday that Israel has been preparing for a “significant escalation” with Hezbollah, deemed “inevitable” despite Washington’s efforts.
On the anniversary of the truce, the Israeli military said it had carried out around 1,200 “targeted activities” and “eliminated more than 370 terrorists” from Hezbollah, Hamas and other Palestinian groups during the ceasefire.
After his meeting with US envoy Ortagus on Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Saar said on X that they “had a good discussion on the situation in Lebanon”.
“I said that the one violating Lebanese sovereignty is Hezbollah. Hezbollah’s disarmament is crucial for Lebanon’s future and Israel’s security,” he added.
With inputs from agencies
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