US Says Lebanon and Israel Agree to Start Direct Talks

Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington D.C. (Twitter/@yechielleiter)

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to begin direct negotiations at a mutually agreed upon time and place, following a trilateral meeting hosted by the United States in Washington on Tuesday.

The US State Department said the meeting resulted in "constructive discussions on steps towards the start of direct negotiations," which it described as a "milestone."

It is said that all parties have agreed to start direct negotiations on a different date and location at a later date, although there are no further details, reported by Daily Sabah (15/4).

The talks, the first direct diplomatic engagement between the two countries in more than 30 years, come as Israel continues air and ground attacks in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah after a cross-border assault on March 2, despite a November 2024 ceasefire.

The US expressed hope that the negotiations could result in a "comprehensive peace agreement" and assured the two countries of its support for further talks.

Reports from Israel and Lebanon also said the meeting at the ambassadorial level was intended to mark the start of direct negotiations.

Israeli media reported that the meeting between the Lebanese Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and the Israeli representative in Washington, Yechiel Leiter, lasted about two hours.

"Kami memiliki keberanian untuk mengejar perdamaian melalui kekuatan, dan bekerja tanpa lelah untuk ketenangan dan kemakmuran untuk semua.

"At the negotiations table today, I commended President Joseph Aoun and his government for not allowing itself to be held hostage to the threats of Hezbollah's... pic.twitter.com/YK6RtNxdxy

— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) April 14, 2026

KAN and the Haaretz newspaper reported that the talks also focused on establishing a clear border between the two countries, an issue that has been a source of contention in the past.

It is known that Israel and the Hezbollah militia allied with Iran in Lebanon were again involved in fighting shortly after the start of the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.

The Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks across Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in November 2024.

According to Lebanese health authorities, at least 2,089 people have been killed and 6,762 injured in the Israeli attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a lasting peace deal with Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government, which is not a party to the war, aims for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

After the meeting, Moawad told Lebanese television station MTV, he had called for a ceasefire, the return of internally displaced persons, and concrete steps to alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis that the country continues to suffer as a result of the ongoing Israeli attacks.

Lebanon reiterated the "urgent need" for the full implementation of the November 2024 agreement, stressing territorial integrity and sovereignty and calling for a ceasefire and "concrete steps" to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the country, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the US said that any potential end to hostilities must be reached between the Israeli and Lebanese governments with US mediation, and not through separate negotiation channels, in a nod to US-Iranian ceasefire talks.