Lebanon-Israel Tripartite Talks Conclude, Direct Negotiations to Begin

On the 14th, after a trilateral meeting held in Lebanon, Israel, and the United States, the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying that the parties agreed to officially launch direct negotiations between the two countries at a time and place agreed upon by Lebanon and Israel.

The meeting lasted for two hours and included U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michelle Issa, and the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel to the U.S. The U.S. side stated that this was the first significant high-level contact between the governments of Lebanon and Israel since 1993.

The statement said that the U.S. supports further talks between Lebanon and Israel to ultimately facilitate a comprehensive peace agreement. The U.S. emphasized that any ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel "must be reached directly by the two governments," mediated by the U.S., and cannot be conducted through any other channels.

The statement implied that the Israeli side expressed support for disarming Hezbollah during the talks and committed to cooperating with the Lebanese government to achieve this goal. The Israeli side also promised to resolve all outstanding issues through direct negotiations and to achieve "lasting peace."

Lebanon reiterated the urgent need to fully implement the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024 between Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese side emphasized the fundamental principles of territorial integrity and complete national sovereignty, calling for a ceasefire while taking practical measures to address and alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis the country is suffering due to ongoing conflict.

According to U.S. media reports, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren stated after the talks that the positions of the Lebanese government and the Israeli side regarding Hezbollah are "the same." He said that the talks produced "several proposals," and after both sides submit them to their respective governments, it is likely that "meetings will be reconvened in the coming weeks to continue discussions in Washington."

Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamad Mouawad stated that the day marked "preliminary" talks, which were constructive, and the date and location for the next direct talks with the Israeli side will be "announced at the appropriate time."

Lebanon and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. (Reporters: Huang Qiang, Xu Jianmei; Video: Cao Lanyi)