Lebanon heads to second Washington meeting as ceasefire extension, direct talks top agenda: The details

Report by Nada Andraos, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Lebanon, represented by its ambassador to Washington Nada Hamadeh Moawad, is set to attend a second meeting at the U.S. State Department alongside the Israeli ambassador to Washington.

Thursday’s meeting will focus on two main items: first, a request to extend the ceasefire deadline; and second, setting the time and place for the first round of direct negotiations.

Preparations for this negotiation track are not far from Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, according to LBCI, which added that communication between the presidential palace in Baabda and the speaker’s residence in Ain al-Tineh has never stopped.

What is Lebanon’s agenda for direct negotiations with Israel?

Informed sources say Lebanon’s negotiating paper is centered on four key points: an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, even if gradual; the return of prisoners; the redeployment of the Lebanese army up to the international border; and discussions on disputed points along the Blue Line to establish the border.

Only after this process would a potential agreement between Lebanon and Israel begin to take shape.

Meanwhile, internal political activity continues amid differing positions. One view considers it appropriate for Lebanon to go further in negotiations, potentially reaching direct contact between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Others oppose this approach, including former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, who visited Ain al-Tineh in recent hours.

Although the Lebanese track is described by officials as separate from U.S.-Iran negotiations, it is not entirely disconnected from outcomes in Islamabad. Any progress on the broader front is expected to reflect positively on the Lebanese-Israeli track, while setbacks could have repercussions in Lebanon.

Given the regional complexity, including Lebanon, and deep internal divisions over the negotiation framework, a Saudi initiative has advanced in recent days.

The initiative has helped defuse tensions and has evolved into encouraging Lebanese parties to convene a national dialogue table, where contentious issues would be discussed, provided that outcomes remain within the framework of respecting the Taif Agreement and implementing its pending provisions.