Israel-Lebanon Peace Talks Likely Next Week In Washington, Hezbollah Rejects Proposal

Israel-Lebanon conflict: Peace talks between Israel and Lebanon are likely to begin next week in Washington, news agency AP reported. However, Hezbollah has firmly rejected any proposal for direct negotiations.

As per the report, the negotiations are expected to take place at the US State Department, with discussions handled on the American side by US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and on the Israeli side by Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter. However, it wasn’t clear who will represent Lebanon.

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The planned diplomatic push comes against the backdrop of escalating violence. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes killed more than 300 people and wounded over 1,100 in a single day this week. Israel said it had

killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, described as a relative and aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, in an overnight strike in Beirut.

However, Hezbollah has pushed back strongly. A Hezbollah lawmaker on Thursday dismissed any possibility of direct talks with Israel.

“We reiterate our rejection of any direct negotiations between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, and the necessity of upholding national principles, foremost among them the Israeli withdrawal, the cessation of hostilities, and the return of residents to their villages and towns,” Ali Fayyad said in a statement shared by the Iran-backed group’s media channels.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed his cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” citing repeated requests from Beirut.

“In light of Lebanon’s repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” his office wrote in a statement.

He also added that the negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace relations between Israel and Lebanon.

Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed support for people in Lebanon, saying that Iran has “fingers on the trigger” as Israel continues to attack Lebanon.

“Israel’s renewed incursion into Lebanon is a blatant violation of the initial ceasefire agreement. The continuation of these actions will render negotiations meaningless. Our fingers remain on the trigger. Iran will never abandon its Lebanese sisters and brothers,” he said in a post on X.

US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran on Tuesday. Both Washington and Tehran declared victory after agreeing to a two-week truce and talks aimed at ending a war that has killed thousands across the Middle East and disrupted the global economy.

However, signs of strain appeared quickly on Wednesday as Israel carried out its most intense strikes on neighbouring Lebanon, including densely populated areas of central Beirut, since the Iran-backed group Hezbollah entered the conflict in early March.

Netanyahu categorically denied that Lebanon is covered in the ceasefire between Iran and the US, contradicting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s comments.

Later, Iran on Wednesday halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh concerns over global energy flows and warning it could withdraw from its ceasefire with the United States if Israel continues strikes in Lebanon.