Lebanese and Israeli diplomats are meeting face-to-face in formal talks in Washington, an event that has not happened in decades, as part of an attempt to reach a diplomatic solution to the war. According to major media reports, the meeting was mediated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Lebanese delegation, led by Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, did not provide immediate comment, according to multiple sources, while Hezbollah opposed the direct talks and intensified attacks on northern Israel as the discussions began. Hezbollah said it fired rockets into 13 northern Israeli towns shortly after the start of the discussions, and the group claimed 24 attacks on northern Israel and Israeli troops in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
The latest round of fighting was sparked by Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel on March 2, in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to major media reports. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a strike on the first day of the US-Israeli bombardment of Tehran in February, as reported by multiple sources, with Israel and the US carrying out a coordinated attack on Iran on February 28. This escalation has led to a provisional ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran that was reached overnight on April 8, according to major media reports, but the conflict in Lebanon has continued unabated. Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of women and children, and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Health Ministry and reports, with an extremely heavy Israeli attack on Beirut on April 8 killing many, as confirmed by multiple sources.
Recent devastating attacks have seen the death toll from Wednesday's massive bombardment rise to 357, with 1,223 people injured, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The toll is still not final, due to the ongoing removal of rubble and the presence of a large amount of human remains requiring DNA testing, the ministry reported. The wave of attacks across the country had killed at least 180 Hezbollah terrorists from the Lebanese armed group, the Israeli military stated. President Joseph Aoun proposed to negotiate directly with Israel to stop the bloodshed, but Israel ignored the offer until last week, according to major media reports.
I hope the Washington talks will yield an agreement on a ceasefire in Lebanon, with the aim of starting direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
On Friday at 21:00 Beirut time, the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington held a first call with the US ambassador to Beirut, the Lebanese president's office reported, during which they agreed to the meeting at the US State Department. Delegations will meet on Tuesday to discuss ceasefire conditions, a senior official from the president's office said, and if they can agree on conditions for a ceasefire then negotiations will go ahead at a later date and time. Direct talks between Lebanon and Israel are highly unusual, with the two countries historically communicating through intermediaries, and efforts to establish negotiations have been ongoing since a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, with US envoys previously mediating indirect talks between the two sides.
The US mediation role faces complexities, as there is fierce dispute over whether Lebanon was included in the US-Iran ceasefire declared by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Additional recent attack details include 13 state security personnel killed by strikes on the southern city of Nabatieh, according to Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun, and victims of the latest Israeli attacks also included seven members of the same family in the town of Abbassieh and 11 people in Zrarieh, Lebanese authorities reported. The full extent of casualties and damage from recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon is still being updated, as numbers are not final due to ongoing recovery efforts. Reactions to the talks have been mixed, with the Lebanese delegation maintaining silence and Hezbollah continuing its military actions, including the claimed 24 attacks on Tuesday.
Key unknowns persist regarding whether Hezbollah will agree to any ceasefire or disarmament as part of a diplomatic solution, and the exact date and location for potential direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel have not been specified. How the US plans to mediate between Israel and Lebanon given Hezbollah's opposition and continued attacks remains uncertain. The ongoing casualty assessment and damage evaluation continue, with the Lebanese health ministry noting that the toll is not final due to rubble removal and DNA testing requirements. President Joseph Aoun expressed hope that the Washington talks will yield an agreement on a ceasefire in Lebanon, with the aim of starting direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, but the path forward is fraught with challenges.