Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in an interview with This Is Beirut — a Lebanese news outlet in English — that disarming Hezbollah and severing Lebanon’s ties to Iran could open “a door to peace, economic growth and shared opportunities” for Israel and Lebanon.
In a direct message to Lebanese citizens at both the beginning and end of the interview, Leiter said: “I represent Israel to the U.S. government and to the people of the United States. It's very important for me to reach out to the people of Lebanon and to let you know that we want very much to pursue peace with you. We want to live together in peace and harmony. We have no issues with your territory. We have issues only with our security. And when we're threatened, we have to respond, because the same way you want to live in security, so do we. So we're looking for ways of pursuing talks, we're looking for ways of pursuing peace, and at the same time, we're looking to secure our citizenry and our country.”
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter sends message of peace to Lebanon
According to Leiter, most Lebanese citizens — like those he described as part of “moderate Islam” — want to live alongside the West rather than fight it. “They are tired of this, and so we must move forward,” he said. “The points along the border are meant to ensure our security. If we sit together, do business together, we can resolve the issues.”
“There is so much we can do together, so why are we allowing extremists to stand in our way?” he added. “We do not want to act against Lebanon. We do not want to harm civilians. We want to act against Hezbollah — against those who fire rockets and threaten the existence of our state. We do not want our existence threatened by people acting on behalf of the Iranian regime and pursuing a religious-political agenda aimed at eliminating Israel, defeating the West and destroying Judeo-Christian civilization.”
He closed with another message to Lebanese citizens: “Let's pray together that 2026 becomes the year of Abraham Accords 2.0, and that we all live in peace and harmony.”
Leiter’s comments were made only days after the historic meeting in Naqoura in southern Lebanon between a representative of Israel’s National Security Council and an envoy from the Lebanese government. The meeting revealed ongoing negotiations between the countries on resolving disputes amid Israel’s preparations for possible escalation with Hezbollah. The Lebanese militant group has refused to disarm, and since the cease-fire last November, Israel has carried out thousands of strikes on its targets in Lebanon.