Report Claims U.S.-Iran Talks Include Israeli Withdrawal From Lebanon

The Hezbollah-linked Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported Friday morning that Iran has obtained a final U.S. answer saying Lebanon will be included in a broader agreement. The paper said the deal would not amount to a simple ceasefire, but to a complete halt to military operations, along with a timetable for a rapid Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

According to the report, the arrangement would also stop all destruction and ground-clearing activity and include the release of Hezbollah prisoners held in Israel. Al-Akhbar said the breakthrough came Thursday afternoon in talks held in Doha, Qatar.

The newspaper said the talks were led by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and included a senior Iranian official and a senior envoy for Donald Trump. It also claimed that Trump spoke three times with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Lebanon.

Al-Akhbar further reported that Qatar found a solution regarding frozen Iranian funds, in a formula acceptable to both sides. The article presents these claims as reporting, not confirmation, and says the negotiations involve Iran, the United States, Qatar, Israel and Hezbollah-related issues.