BEIRUT — Lebanese and Israeli civilian officials held rare talks Wednesday in Lebanon’s southern city of Naqoura, the first civilian-level talks since 1991. The talks offer a glimmer of hope in preserving a shaky ceasefire that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

What happened: The talks that took place in Naqoura near the UN-demarcated Blue Line, the two countries’ de facto border, were led from the Lebanese side by former Ambassador to the US Simon Karam. On the Israeli side, National Security Council Senior Director for Foreign Policy Uri Resnick attended the meeting. 

The talks were the first time since the Madrid Conference in 1991 that civilians from both sides sat at the same table. At that time, Lebanese Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz attended the Arab-Israeli summit. 

Washington was also present at the talks. “To support a durable peace and shared prosperity of both sides, former Ambassador Simon Karam of Lebanon and National Security Council Senior Director for Foreign Policy Dr. Uri Resnick of Israel joined Counselor Morgan Ortagus at today’s meeting as civilian participants,” a statement by the US Embassy in Lebanon read. “Their inclusion reflects the Mechanism’s commitment to facilitating political and military discussions with the aim of achieving security, stability, and a durable peace for all communities affected by the conflict.”