Israel Signals Lebanon Talks Must Focus on Hezbollah Disarmament

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said Tuesday in Washington that the renewed fifth round of talks between Jerusalem and Beirut has gone badly off track. He compared the negotiations to a train and said, “This is the fifth round of talks, and I must say, we are in a train crash.” He said the first four rounds were supposed to move toward “full peace” between Israel and Lebanon, with Iran out of Lebanon, Hezbollah dismantled, and security for both countries, but now the effort risks derailment.

Leiter said the core issue should remain Hezbollah, not an attempt to let Iran restrain the group. “This is not Iran’s role. Its role is to leave Lebanon,” he said, adding that Lebanon’s government must assert its sovereignty. He warned that Hezbollah may have been emboldened and insisted that Israel would act against immediate threats to its civilians and soldiers. He also said any funding Iran receives under the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding must not reach Hezbollah.

Leiter referred to a previous joint statement by the United States, Lebanon and Israel that set out basic principles, including that the future relationship between Israel and Lebanon would be decided by the two sovereign governments, outside interference would be rejected, Hezbollah would be disarmed and not allowed to reestablish itself, and Iran’s “malicious conduct” in the region should be condemned. He asked whether Hezbollah’s disarmament still remains the basis of the talks and whether a ceasefire requiring Hezbollah to withdraw north is still binding.

Later, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told the JNS conference in Jerusalem that Hezbollah remains “the number one obstacle” to both Lebanon’s sovereignty and Israel’s security, and said claims that Israel is violating Lebanese sovereignty are false, arguing that Hezbollah and Iran are the ones violating it. Meanwhile, Arab media reported that Qatar may take part in future Israel-Lebanon mediation, separately from the direct U.S.-mediated talks that resumed in Washington. Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar, which is aligned with Hezbollah, said Qatar could mediate indirect talks aimed at a stable ceasefire, while Al-Jadeed reported Qatar might coordinate with Saudi Arabia and Washington on de-escalation and a withdrawal mechanism. Al-Jadeed also claimed the talks involve exchanging Ron Arad’s remains for Lebanese prisoners in Israel, but Israel denied knowing of such a proposal.