CNN reported Sunday that former minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, recently visited Saudi Arabia and discussed a possible arrangement for a ceasefire on the northern front. An Israeli official told CNN the visit took place sometime “in the past two weeks” — after the outbreak of the war with Iran — and against the backdrop of fighting with Hezbollah after the Lebanese terror group joined the conflict.
Dermer stepped down from the government last year, but after the war began Netanyahu asked him to coordinate Israel’s handling of the Lebanese file. If talks are held with Beirut, Dermer is expected to represent Jerusalem. In recent days he has also taken part in several meetings of the smaller security Cabinet.
CNN noted that, according to an Israeli source, Dermer’s appointment to lead possible contacts with Lebanon does not necessarily indicate “concrete plans” for direct negotiations between the governments in Jerusalem and Beirut. If such talks were to take place, they would be historic, particularly as reports say the Lebanese government does not rule out the possibility of normalization in the future.
A source familiar with the matter said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are currently forming a negotiating delegation for possible talks with Israel.
Earlier Sunday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar denied reports that Israel could soon hold direct talks with Lebanon. Asked about those reports and about a U.S. report from the previous evening that Israel had warned it was running low on missile interceptors, Sa'ar said: “To both questions, the answer is no.”
Sa'ar spoke during a visit to the Arab town of Zarzir near Nazareth, where 60 people were injured and about 300 homes were damaged by a direct hit from an Iranian missile. He accused the Lebanese government of not doing enough to disarm Hezbollah, saying Israel therefore had to act.
“If the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army want to change something, they must take action to stop the attacks carried out by Hezbollah from Lebanese territory against Israel,” Sa'ar said. “So far they have done nothing meaningful to stop it. Incidentally, ministers identified with Hezbollah are still members of the Lebanese government. We support peace and normalization in the future, including with Lebanon.”
“We have no real, deep disputes with the state of Lebanon. The problem is Hezbollah,” he added. “Hezbollah operates according to instructions from Tehran, not Beirut, contrary to the will of Lebanon and its citizens. Since the ceasefire in November 2024, Lebanon has not truly done what it needed to do to disarm Hezbollah. We are now seeing the results. We also expect serious steps from Lebanon to stop the fire toward Israel. That is what needs to be done now.”
The United States and France are involved in diplomatic efforts. It was reported Saturday that the two countries are trying to arrange a direct meeting soon between Israeli representatives and officials from the Lebanese government to reach a ceasefire agreement and understandings under which the Lebanese state would be responsible for disarming Hezbollah.
The aim is to halt the escalation and prevent an Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon. For now, however, Israel intends to expand its operations in Lebanon regardless of any talks.
Leading the effort on the American side is Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Israel has not yet formally accepted the invitation, but the direction appears positive.
“It’s hard to believe a broad ground operation in Lebanon can be prevented, and it seems the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces will have to do the difficult work of dismantling and disarming Hezbollah,” a source familiar with the matter told Ynet. “But that does not change the fact that alongside that — or shortly after — there could be a dramatic shift with the Lebanese government. The Lebanese government also wants Hezbollah disarmed. We are entering a long and complex campaign against Hezbollah. It is hard to believe diplomatic negotiations with the Lebanese government will stop that, but there is definitely talk that the day after Iran we could see a new page with Lebanon, as we are seeing with Syria. There’s a reason Ron Dermer is involved.”