Preparatory talks ahead of potential direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are set to begin in Washington at 6 p.m. Israel time Tuesday, with the United States reportedly promising to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire.
The meeting, expected to include the two countries’ ambassadors under U.S. auspices, was rescheduled at Washington’s request to allow U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to participate, according to reports in Arab media.
A ministerial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon agreed to the meeting after receiving assurances from the U.S. that it would push Israel to accept a ceasefire in southern Lebanon. The source said the talks will focus on a single issue — reaching a ceasefire — without which negotiations would not proceed to a second stage.
According to the reports, Lebanon intends to present a ceasefire as its sole condition. If rejected by the Israeli side, no further rounds of talks are expected to take place.
Separately, commentary on a Lebanese outlet affiliated with Hezbollah outlined two possible scenarios: acceptance of a ceasefire, which it said could leave Hezbollah in a weakened strategic position, or rejection, which could derail negotiations and risk a broader escalation of the conflict across Lebanon, including Beirut.