First round of Lebanon-Israel talks concludes in Washington: What to know

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted Lebanese and Israeli officials at the State Department on Tuesday for rare peace talks amid Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The US-brokered meeting, which got underway around 11 a.m. EST, brought together Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh. Also present for the meeting were US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and State Department counselor Michael Needham. The talks lasted roughly two hours.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement after the meeting ended that the United States hopes continued talks between Israel and Lebanon can exceed the scope of their 2024 agreement and bring about a comprehensive peace deal while unlocking “reconstruction assistance and economic recovery for Lebanon and [expanding] investment opportunities for both countries.” 

The United States also voiced support for Israel’s “right to defend itself from Hezbollah’s attacks," Pigott said. US officials called for any agreement to be reached directly between Lebanon and Israel and “not through any separate track,” a reference to the ongoing negotiations with Iran. Another round of Lebanon-Israel talks will be held at a mutually agreed date and time, Pigott said.

The Lebanese government hopes the talks will produce a ceasefire to end the war, which began when Hezbollah fired missiles into Israel on March 2 in solidarity with its patron, Iran. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground operation in southern Lebanon that has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than 1.2 million others, according to Lebanese authorities.

Less than an hour before the meeting began on Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a barrage of rockets fired at the northern Israeli cities of Kiryat Shmona and Manara. The group rejects direct talks with Israel and had called on Lebanon’s government to back out of them.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, continued to launch airstrikes at a number of villages and towns in south Lebanon throughout Tuesday, even as the talks were ongoing. A loud explosion in the border town of Khiam, where Israeli forces have been advancing in recent weeks, was heard around 8 p.m. local time, state-run news agency NNA reported.

Lebanon and Israel lack diplomatic relations and remain technically at war.

Israel said its priority for the negotiations was the disarming of Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations with neighboring Lebanon. The Lebanese army has made some progress confiscating weapons in southern Lebanon since a 2024 ceasefire agreement, but Israel has called those steps insufficient.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Leiter said he and his Lebanese counterpart “discovered today that we're on the same side of the equation.”

“We had a wonderful exchange of over two hours,” he said, adding that they discussed “a clearly delineated border" between Lebanon and Israel, "where the only reason we'll need to cross each other's territory will be in business suits to conduct business or in bathing suits to go on vacation."

In a statement, Hamadeh described the meeting as “constructive” and said a date and location for a second round of talks would be shared later. The Lebanese ambassador called for a ceasefire and the full implementation of the 2024 agreement with Israel and stressed her country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Before the meeting, the group gathered for a photo but did not shake hands. Rubio told reporters that the meeting was a “historic opportunity” to find a framework so “that the people of Lebanon can have the kind of future they deserve, and so that the people of Israel can live without fear.”

“This is about bringing a permanent end to 20 or 30 years of Hezbollah influence in this part of the world,” Rubio said.

A State Department official said Tuesday that the department had recently approved more than $58 million in new humanitarian aid “to help provide lifesaving assistance" to displaced Lebanese. 

"Our funding will focus on lifesaving food, health, water, wastewater, shelter and the emergency response needs of the most conflict-affected populations," the official said.

On Tuesday, foreign ministers from nearly 20 European countries welcomed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's decision to open direct talks with Israel and called on both countries “to seize this opportunity.”

Rina Bassist contributed to this report, which has been updated since initial publication.