Washington pushes historic diplomacy while Israel insists Hezbollah terror must end before real peace advances.”
The United States reported fresh progress on Tuesday after hosting Israeli and Lebanese representatives in Washington for another round of direct talks aimed at reducing hostilities and advancing a broader security agreement.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said delegations from Israel and Lebanon met under American sponsorship for the fourth round of discussions, with movement continuing on both political and security tracks.
Pigott described the talks as part of a serious effort to break from two decades of failed approaches and move toward a comprehensive agreement that would restore Lebanon’s sovereignty while guaranteeing Israel’s security.
The latest meeting followed President Donald Trump’s announcement that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to stop attacking one another, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to pause a planned strike against Hezbollah targets in Beirut.
Netanyahu, however, made clear after speaking with Trump that Israel’s position has not changed. He said Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut if Hezbollah continues attacking Israeli cities and civilians, while the IDF will continue its planned operations in southern Lebanon.
The US has hosted multiple rounds of Israeli-Lebanese talks in recent weeks, including an initial April meeting attended by Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad.
Trump has expressed hope that peace between Israel and Lebanon could be achieved this year and has also suggested a possible Washington meeting between Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Aoun, however, has ruled out a high-level summit for now, saying the immediate priority must be a cessation of hostilities before direct political engagement can move forward. He has also insisted that Israel’s full withdrawal from southern Lebanon remains a non-negotiable condition for any agreement.
