A third round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon kicked off in Washington on Thursday, with both sides facing a fast-approaching deadline as the existing ceasefire continues to fray. The negotiations are being driven by the Trump administration, which has publicly pushed for a breakthrough between the two neighbors who have remained officially at war since Israel's founding in 1948.
The current U.S.-brokered ceasefire, established on April 17 and initially lasting 10 days before being extended for three more weeks, has reduced but not stopped hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Thursday's talks represent an escalation in diplomatic level, with higher-ranking envoys from both countries participating after earlier preparatory sessions were led by their Washington ambassadors.
Simon Karam, a former Lebanese ambassador to the U.S., is leading Lebanon's delegation. He previously represented Lebanon in indirect talks over ceasefire implementation. On the Israeli side, Deputy National Security Adviser Yossi Draznin is attending the negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who participated in the first Israel-Lebanon meetings in April, was traveling with President Donald Trump in China and did not attend Thursday's session.
Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group that has been trading near-constant fire with Israel across the border, is not participating in these talks. The group has been vocally opposed to Lebanon engaging in direct negotiations with Jerusalem.
What the Right Is Saying
Israeli officials have framed the negotiations as a pathway toward potential normalization of relations with Lebanon, not merely a security arrangement short of full diplomatic ties. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told Walla News that Israel aims 'to negotiate for full peace as if Hezbollah does not exist — borders, embassies, visas, tourism, everything.' Leiter expressed belief that such an agreement could be reached within months, though he acknowledged it would depend on success in dismantling Hezbollah's military capabilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has maintained that disarmament of Hezbollah is a non-negotiable priority. Officials have argued that without resolving the weapons question, any security arrangement would be temporary and insufficient to allow Israeli civilians in northern communities to return home safely. The Israeli military reported that Thursday's talks opened just hours after a Hezbollah drone exploded inside Israel, injuring three civilians — two severely — marking the first civilian injuries from Hezbollah projectiles since the ceasefire began.
Trump has publicly called for a meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu, though Beirut has rebuffed direct contact at this stage. Supporters of Israel's approach argue that only high-level political commitments can provide the guarantees necessary for lasting stability along the border.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressives and regional analysts who support Lebanon's position argue that the talks must prioritize an immediate and complete ceasefire before any discussion of broader arrangements. A senior Lebanese official familiar with the negotiations said Beirut wants a full ceasefire first, followed by withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, with the politically sensitive question of Hezbollah's weapons addressed domestically afterward through Lebanese political processes.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has declined to meet directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at this stage, citing concerns about domestic backlash if talks collapse after a public handshake. According to the Lebanese official, Aoun told Trump that agreeing to such a meeting now could have internal repercussions in Lebanon and potentially discredit Trump's diplomatic efforts. The official said Aoun indicated he would come to the White House to 'inaugurate' a security deal if one is successfully reached.
Humanitarian groups monitoring the conflict have called attention to civilian casualties from ongoing Israeli strikes, including an attack on seven vehicles Wednesday that killed 12 people, including a woman and her two children, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Critics argue that continued military operations undermine the diplomatic process and complicate prospects for lasting peace.
What the Numbers Show
Lebanon's Health Ministry reports 2,896 people have been killed since fighting escalated on March 2. Approximately 400 deaths have occurred since the nominal ceasefire began in mid-April. The ministry counts 8,824 wounded during the same period.
On the Israeli side, the military has confirmed 18 soldiers killed, along with two Israeli civilians inside Israel and one defense contractor working in southern Lebanon. Six U.N. peacekeeping forces stationed in southern Lebanon have also been killed during the conflict.
Wednesday's Israeli strikes on seven vehicles across Lebanon resulted in at least 22 total deaths according to Lebanese officials — 12 from highway attacks south of Beirut including a woman and her two children, and another 10 from later strikes in southern Lebanon including six children. The attacks occurred despite the active ceasefire.
The current ceasefire is set to expire soon without agreement on its extension or replacement terms.
The Bottom Line
These talks occur at a critical juncture: the existing ceasefire faces an expiration deadline that could bring renewed intense fighting if no new arrangement is reached. Both sides have articulated fundamentally different end goals — Israel envisions eventual diplomatic normalization and complete disarmament of Hezbollah, while Lebanon is seeking a security agreement that stops short of formal peace.
What happens next will depend heavily on whether both governments can sell politically difficult compromises to their domestic audiences. For Aoun, any perception of capitulating to Israeli demands without full ceasefire and withdrawal could spark backlash at home. For Netanyahu, failure to achieve disarmament would face criticism from a right flank that has supported the military campaign.
The Trump administration has positioned itself as essential to any deal, with Lebanese officials telling reporters they are 'relying heavily' on Washington for leverage. Whether Rubio's absence from Thursday's session signals reduced U.S. engagement or simply reflects scheduling remains unclear. The next moves by both governments — and Hezbollah's response to any emerging terms — will determine whether this diplomatic opening produces an actual accord or collapses under the weight of persistent battlefield violence.