Lebanon and Israel hold first direct civilian talks in decades
Talks were held days after the first anniversary of the start of the fragile truce between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah
Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades on Wednesday under the auspices of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism, though Lebanon’s premier cautioned the new diplomatic contact did not amount to broader peace discussions.
The two sides met at the UN peacekeeping force’s headquarters in Lebanon’s Naqura near the border with Israel, where the guarantors of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah regularly convene.
Lebanon and Israel have technically been at war since 1948, but Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the new discussions were strictly limited to fully implementing last year’s truce.
“We are not yet at peace talks,” Salam told journalists on Wednesday.
He said the talks only sought “the cessation of hostilities”, the “release of Lebanese hostages” and “the complete Israeli withdrawal” from Lebanon.