Lebanon-Israel talks: With first contact established, what will Tuesday's meeting hold?

Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

A first round of contact between Lebanese, Israeli, and U.S. officials in Washington was described as a preparatory step rather than the start of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

The virtual meeting, organized by the U.S. Department of State via conference call, brought together Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad; Israel's ambassador, Yechiel Leiter; the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michael Issa; and the councilor of the State Department, Michael Needham.

Lebanese and U.S. officials aligned on the need to separate any Lebanon-Israel track from broader negotiations underway between Washington and Iran, amid concerns that overlapping files could complicate diplomatic efforts, including parallel discussions taking place in Islamabad.

During the call, Moawad reiterated Lebanon's position, calling for a return to the November 2024 agreement and its provisions, most notably an immediate ceasefire, as a prerequisite for any negotiations. Issa echoed this stance, urging Israel to adhere to a halt in its military operations.

However, the Israeli ambassador later indicated that while Israel is open to advancing toward a broader peace framework with Lebanon, it has not agreed to discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

Following the conversation, Moawad briefed President Joseph Aoun, the speaker of parliament, and the prime minister, in line with constitutional procedures, and assigned the president authority over external negotiations. Aoun remained in close coordination with the parliamentary speaker and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Lebanon's official position remains unchanged: a ceasefire must come first. Officials stressed that a planned meeting on Tuesday will not constitute formal negotiations but rather a reaffirmation of Lebanon's demand for a halt to hostilities.

A second phase, if conditions are met, would involve direct negotiations led by Ambassador Simon Karam. 

However, the composition of the delegation has yet to be finalized, pending clarity on both the negotiation framework and the Israeli side's representation.

With only days remaining before the anticipated meeting, attention is focused on whether Israel will respond to Lebanese and U.S. calls for a ceasefire, whether declared or undeclared, seen as the necessary gateway to launching formal talks.