The conflict was sparked by Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel on March 2, in retaliation for the US-Israeli attack on Iran and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to multiple reports. This ended a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that had been in place since November 2024. Since Israel launched attacks in March, more than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported, and over 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon due to the conflict, according to Lebanese authorities.
Hezbollah militia is central to the negotiations but is not participating in the meeting. The Iran-backed group, created in the 1980s during Israel's occupation of Lebanon, opposed the talks and launched attacks on northern Israel during the discussions, multiple reports indicate. Hezbollah kept its weapons despite the Taif Agreement in 1989 mandating disarmament of all militias, and Hezbollah said it will not abide by any agreements made during the talks and will not lay down its weapons.
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun proposed direct negotiations with Israel to stop the bloodshed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized direct talks following what he said were repeated requests from the Lebanese government, according to Netanyahu. Netanyahu conditioned peace talks on Hezbollah's disarmament. A senior presidency official said negotiations could only happen with a ceasefire in place.
There are reports of attempts to agree on a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, linked to the US-Iran ceasefire, according to Lebanese sources. The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, leading to a ceasefire on April 8, multiple reports indicate. However, there is fierce dispute over whether Lebanon was included in the US-Iran ceasefire declared by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Pakistan, which mediated the truce, and Iran say Lebanon was included in the ceasefire, while the US and Israel say Lebanon was not included. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Israeli strikes on Lebanon constituted a grave violation of the ceasefire, and Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no ceasefire in Lebanon.
According to The Lebanese presidency, Israel and Lebanon's ambassadors to the US agreed in a first phone call to meet in Washington on Tuesday to seek an announcement on a ceasefire and a date to begin direct negotiations. During the call they agreed to the meeting at the US State Department, the Lebanese president's office reported. A senior official from the president's office said delegations will meet on Tuesday to discuss ceasefire conditions, and if they can agree on conditions for a ceasefire then negotiations will go ahead at a later date and time.
The Israeli army issued an evacuation order in southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning, multiple reports indicate. The death toll from Wednesday's massive bombardment had risen to 357, with 1,223 people injured, the Lebanese health ministry reported. 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 added. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said 13 state security personnel had been killed by strikes on the southern city of Nabatieh and condemned the continued attacks. 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 Israeli military reported that the wave of attacks across the country had killed at least 180 Hezbollah terrorists from the Lebanese armed group. Israel's ambassador to Washington confirmed that formal peace negotiations would begin with Lebanon, but Israel refuses to discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah, according to the ambassador.
Direct talks between Lebanon and Israel are highly unusual, with the two countries historically communicating through intermediaries. 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 talks aim for a diplomatic solution to the war, but key uncertainties remain. What specific ceasefire conditions are being discussed in the Washington talks is unclear, as is the exact timeline and agenda for the direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. How Hezbollah's absence from the talks will affect the implementation of any agreements is also unknown, along with the casualty figures for the conflict given varying reports, and the current status of the evacuation order in southern Lebanon and its impact on civilians.