Beirut: Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives have held their first direct talks in decades under a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism, though Lebanon’s prime minister stressed the engagement does not amount to broader peace negotiations.
The meeting took place on Wednesday at the UN peacekeeping force’s headquarters in Naqura, near the Israel-Lebanon border, where guarantors of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah usually gather. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the discussions are confined to enforcing the truce, focusing on ending hostilities, securing the release of Lebanese hostages and ensuring a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued air strikes in Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, and has retained troops in several areas in the south in apparent breach of the agreement’s requirement for a full pullout. Until now, both sides, which remain technically at war and have no formal diplomatic ties, restricted participation in the mechanism to military officers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the atmosphere at the talks as positive and said there was agreement to explore ideas for possible economic cooperation between the two countries. At the same time, Israel insisted that Hezbollah’s disarmament remains essential, regardless of any progress on economic tracks.
The ceasefire mechanism is led by the United States, with France and the UN also involved, and Washington has been pressing for the rapid disarming of Hezbollah and for direct engagement between the neighbours to stabilise the region. The US embassy in Beirut said the inclusion of Lebanese diplomat Simon Karam and Israeli National Security Council official Uri Resnick in the talks reflects a push to blend political and military dialogue in pursuit of lasting security and peace.
US special envoy for Lebanon Morgan Ortagus attended the Naqura meeting after holding talks in Jerusalem with Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. The United States sees the process as a way to further weaken Iran-backed Hezbollah’s influence and to encourage Lebanon towards broader regional normalisation, though Salam reiterated that any normalisation with Israel must follow, not precede, a genuine peace.
Under a government-approved plan, the Lebanese army is tasked with dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani river by the end of the year before moving to the rest of the country, and Salam said Beirut is open to verification of its efforts by the ceasefire mechanism. However, judging Lebanese actions insufficient, Israel has intensified air strikes in recent weeks, and Israeli media report that the country is preparing for a significant escalation with Hezbollah despite ongoing US diplomatic efforts.