US President Donald Trump. Foto: Shutterstock
The leaders of Israel and Lebanon will hold talks on April 16, U.S. President Donald Trump said on the social media network Truth Social on Wednesday, April 15. “Trying to relieve a little bit of the tension between Israel and Lebanon. It’s been a long time since the leaders of these two countries have negotiated with each other, about 34 years. It’s going to happen tomorrow. Wonderful!” – wrote the American head of state, writes dw.com.
Which exactly of the “leaders” of Israel and Lebanon – prime ministers or presidents of the countries – will participate in the talks, as well as where they will take place, is not clear from Trump’s message.
Meanwhile, AFP news agency reports, citing an unnamed official source in Lebanon, that Beirut is “not aware” of plans for new contacts with Israel. “We are not aware of any planned contacts with Israel, and we have not been informed of any contacts through official channels,” the journalists quoted their interlocutor as saying.
Israeli and Lebanese representatives meeting in Washington, D.C.
On April 14, after a meeting in Washington between Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yehiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad with the participation of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the first since 1993, the State Department said that the parties had taken steps toward the beginning of direct negotiations on a peace settlement. The place and time for the meeting will be agreed upon at a later date, it said at the time.
Ahead of those talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel seeks a lasting peace agreement with Lebanon and demands the disarmament of the Lebanese radical Shiite group Hezbollah, recognized as a terrorist organization in Germany, the United States, Israel and a number of Arab states. On the evening of April 15, Netanyahu confirmed through a statement from his office that Israel was negotiating with Lebanon.
In doing so, Israel has two main goals: to achieve the disarmament of Hezbollah and to establish a long-term peace: “peace through strength.” The Lebanese government’s main goal is to achieve a ceasefire and demand the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.
Conflict between Israel and Hezbollah
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated again in March 2026 – shortly after the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began. In 2024, the Lebanese leadership has pledged to disarm the group, but in practice it is not possible to achieve this, as the Lebanese army is considered much weaker than Hezbollah fighters, notes the AFP news agency.
The Hezbollah group opposes negotiations between Israel and the Lebanese government. Before the meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington, the militants launched a series of rocket attacks on northern Israel.
