Israel and Lebanon will discuss a Lebanese proposal to extend their 10-day ceasefire and a halt to Israeli demolition operations in villages and towns in southern Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States are expected to meet on Thursday for a second round of talks between the two countries. The talks are intended to advance the disarmament of Hezbollah and promote normalization between the two countries.
Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad are expected to meet at the State Department with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Their first meeting was last week.
“It will be a significant extension, not just for a few days,” the source told The Jerusalem Post.
Rubio’s senior adviser Michael Needham, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee are also expected to be present at the meeting on Thursday.
In a post on X/Twitter, Aoun said he would make every effort to extract Lebanon from its current crisis.
“In all contacts, I emphasize that my top priority is preserving sovereignty over all Lebanese territory,” he wrote. “Lebanon is pressing for the negotiations with Israel to focus on ending Israeli attacks, securing a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, returning Lebanese detainees held in Israel, deploying the Lebanese army up to the international border, and rebuilding Lebanon from its destruction.”
Jerusalem has no major disputes with Beirut, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Wednesday, during an Independence Day event for the diplomatic corps.
“There are only a few minor disagreements regarding the border that can be resolved,” he said. “The obstacle to peace and normalization between the countries is something else: Hezbollah.”
In a message to the Lebanese government, Sa’ar said: “Let us cooperate against the terrorist state that Hezbollah has established on your territory. This cooperation is needed by you even more than by us.”
Progress being made in talks, but unclear when direct meeting will occur
It was unclear when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet with Aoun. US President Donald Trump had said the meeting would take place.
Lebanon has not ruled out the possibility of a meeting or a phone call between the two leaders, but it clarified that “significant progress in the talks” is required before they could be held.
The US has also asked Lebanon to repeal laws prohibiting “normalization with Israel.” These laws are rooted in the 1955 Boycott Law, which has been reinforced by several articles of the Lebanon Penal Code and the Code of Military Justice.
They ban all economic, professional, cultural, and social relations between Lebanese nationals, including those living abroad, and Israeli citizens or entities. Violating these laws can result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment.