Washington talks. Lebanese-Israeli Agreement to Launch Direct Negotiations
The US State Department said in a statement that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to launch direct negotiations at a time and place to be agreed upon.
Israel reiterated its commitment to engage in negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues and reach a lasting peace, while Beirut stressed the need for Tel Aviv to abide by the ceasefire agreement agreed in November 2024, according to the US statement issued after the end of the trilateral talks, which lasted about two hours in Washington.
Media sources said that "several countries tried to join the US-led negotiation process in Lebanon and Israel, but the choice was to keep it trilateral."
"The meeting constitutes the first large-scale high-level communication between the governments of Israel and Lebanon since 1993," the State Department said in a statement, noting that "participants constructively discussed steps to launch direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon."
The United States reiterated its "support for Israel's right to defend itself in the face of Hezbollah's ongoing attacks," stressing that "any cessation of hostilities agreement must be reached between the two governments, mediated by the United States, and not through any separate track."
"The negotiations may open the door to significant aid for reconstruction and economic recovery in Lebanon, and expand investment opportunities for both countries," the ministry said in its statement.
Lebanon's National News Agency reported that preliminary talks between the Lebanese and Israeli sides ended about two hours after they began.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, State Department Advisor Michael Needham, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Israel's Ambassador to Washington Yehiel Leiter and Lebanon's Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh took part in the talks, according to the US State Department.
After the talks, the Israeli ambassador said that the participants touched on several issues, adding that Israel and Lebanon "agree on the liberation of Lebanon from the Hezbollah group."
"We have a historic opportunity in terms of the Israeli-Lebanese talks in Washington," the secretary of state said, adding that we recognize that we are working with "decades of history and complexity."
"It's about putting an end to 20 to 30 years of Hizballah's influence in this part of the world," Rubio said.
The U.S. secretary of state played down hopes for the meeting, saying "not all the complexities of this issue will be resolved in the next six hours, but we can start moving forward and setting the framework."
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji said Beirut would use direct negotiations with Tel Aviv to push for a ceasefire in the war, but expectations about the meeting had been dashed by Israel's statements that it would not discuss a ceasefire.
Joint statement on the talks
On April 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of State held a high-level trilateral meeting with the participation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Counselor Michael Needham, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Israel's Ambassador to the United States Yehiel Leiter, and Lebanon's Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Mouawad.
According to the statement, this meeting represents the first large-scale official communication between the governments of Lebanon and Israel since 1993, in a move that the United States described as a historic development that paves the way for the resumption of dialogue between the two sides. Washington expressed support for the continuation of these talks, and for the Lebanese government's plans to restore the state's monopoly on the use of force and limit Iran's excessive influence, stressing its aspiration for negotiations to go beyond the framework of the 2024 agreement and open the way for a comprehensive peace agreement.
The United States reiterated its support for Israel's right to defend itself in the face of Hezbollah's ongoing attacks, stressing that any cessation of hostilities agreement must be made exclusively between the two governments and mediated by the United States, rather than through any separate track, noting that the success of these negotiations could provide broad opportunities for aid for Lebanon's reconstruction and enhance investment potential for both countries.
For its part, Israel affirmed its support for the disarmament of all groups classified as "terrorist" and non-state affiliates and the dismantling of their infrastructure inside Lebanon, declaring its readiness to work with the Lebanese government to achieve this goal in order to ensure the security of the two peoples, stressing its commitment to engage in direct negotiations to address outstanding issues and reach a lasting peace that promotes stability and prosperity in the region.
Lebanon reiterated the need for the full implementation of the declaration of cessation of hostilities issued in November 2024, adhering to the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and calling for a ceasefire and taking practical steps to address the worsening humanitarian crisis and mitigate the repercussions of the ongoing conflict.
According to the statement, all parties agreed to launch direct negotiations at a time and place to be agreed upon.
Key Issues in the Negotiations
Dismantling Hezbollah's weapons
Israel demands a swift and effective path to disarm the party, while Lebanon prefers to implement this gradually to avoid a direct and all-out confrontation with it, in light of Israeli doubts about the Lebanese army's ability to impose effective control south of the Litani.
Limits and Differences
There are 13 points of contention along the Blue Line, along with the Shebaa Farms file, with Israel refusing to negotiate them as Syrian territory.
Lebanon also demands Israel's withdrawal from the five control points it holds in southern Lebanon, while also highlighting an Israeli demand related to the amendment of a point in the maritime border that was previously agreed upon.
Post-war arrangements
These arrangements include the return of the IDPs, the majority of whom are from the Shia community, amid Israeli fears that some of them will continue to support Hezbollah, along with detainee files, reconstruction, and the expected role of the international community in consolidating any subsequent understandings.
Israel pre-empted negotiations by launching an offensive on Monday to take control of the town of Bint Jbeil, in southern Lebanon. A foreign security official based in Lebanon said the capture of Bint Jbeil would give Israel better control over the entire southeastern border strip of Lebanon, leaving the western part of the border area, which is mostly forested and difficult to evacuate.
Initiative to Stop the War
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has put forward an initiative to stop the war and start direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under international auspices, in a bid to end the conflict that erupted on March 2.
Aoun stressed that "the only solution to the situation that Lebanon is currently experiencing is to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, followed by direct negotiations between them."
He pointed out that "he has conducted, and still is, intensive international contacts in this context, and that this proposal is very well received internationally, and has begun to interact positively in the international political corridors."
Last week, the Lebanese Cabinet decided to ask the army and security forces to "immediately begin to strengthen the extension of full state control over Beirut governorate" and "limit weapons to legitimate forces only," and decided to "submit an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council regarding the escalation of Israeli aggressions on Lebanon and their expansion on Wednesday, especially in Beirut, which led to a large number of civilian casualties," according to the Lebanese News Agency.
Israel has said it wants to extend control over southern Lebanon to the Litani River, which empties into the Mediterranean Sea, about 30 km (30 miles) from Israel's border.