Israeli and Lebanese envoys are set to meet in Washington on Tuesday, marking a rare diplomatic encounter as Israel continues its military campaign against Hezbollah and both sides remain divided over the path to de-escalation.
The meeting, scheduled for 11 a.m. (1500 GMT), will bring together Israeli ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese envoy Nada Hamadeh Moawad, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected to attend, according to a State Department official.
It comes at a sensitive moment in the wider Middle East crisis, amid a fragile ceasefire involving the United States, Israel and Iran, while the parallel conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon continues to escalate.
Lebanon’s government, led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, has called for negotiations with Israel despite objections from Hezbollah, reflecting internal political tensions. Lebanese officials say Moawad is only mandated to discuss a ceasefire in Tuesday’s talks.
However, Israel has ruled out ceasefire discussions. As reported in Reuters, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said the focus is instead on ensuring Lebanon commits to disarming Hezbollah and demilitarizing southern Lebanon, as well as pursuing a broader peace agreement. “What we’re looking for … is to see that Lebanon is committed to disarming Hezbollah,” she said.
The conflict intensified after Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran on March 2, prompting an Israeli offensive that Lebanese authorities say has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced around 1.2 million. Lebanon’s health ministry said the dead include women and children, while Israel reports casualties among both soldiers and civilians.
Israel and the United States have said the Hezbollah campaign is separate from the Iran-U.S. ceasefire. A U.S. State Department official described the Washington meeting as a rare, direct engagement focused on security along Israel’s northern border and Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has called on the Lebanese government to cancel the talks, saying the group will continue resisting Israeli attacks.
