The office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement on the 9th stating that Netanyahu had instructed the government to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible.
U.S. media Axios reported that the first round of talks could take place as early as next week in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. State Department. It is understood that Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yellert will represent Israel at the talks, while Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Mouawad will represent Lebanon. The U.S. side will be led by Ambassador to Lebanon Issa, who will serve as mediator.
This comes as Israel continues to carry out airstrikes on Beirut and other areas in Lebanon, even as the U.S. and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire to facilitate negotiations. Netanyahu subsequently stated that the ceasefire arrangement does not apply to the Lebanese front.
An Israeli statement indicated that the negotiations will focus on demanding that Lebanon’s Hezbollah disarm, as well as exploring the possibility of establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon. The statement also noted that these arrangements were made in response to repeated requests from the Lebanese side for direct dialogue.
However, Netanyahu later emphasized that Israel had not declared a ceasefire with Lebanon and that military operations would continue. He stated that the IDF would continue to strike Hezbollah rocket launch sites and military targets. The Israel Defense Forces also announced on the same day that they had launched a new round of airstrikes against multiple Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon.
Commentary:
The ceasefire arrangement between the United States and Iran has not cooled regional tensions as expected; instead, it has complicated the situation, further deepening miscalculations and mistrust among all parties. The key issue lies in the fact that different countries have inconsistent interpretations of the “scope of the ceasefire,” leading to differing interpretations of the same agreement across different camps.
While Israel has expressed a willingness to engage in direct negotiations, it continues to launch military strikes against Hezbollah targets, making it difficult to determine whether the situation is de-escalating or escalating. Under these conditions of “talking while fighting,” the credibility of the negotiations themselves is also compromised.
More importantly, if the conflict between Israel and Lebanon escalates further, it could trigger a broader chain reaction, prompting Iran to adopt a tougher response—such as restricting or blocking the Strait of Hormuz—which would in turn disrupt global energy supplies and financial market stability, turning a regional issue into a global risk.