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Israeli and Lebanese military delegations began Pentagon-brokered talks in Washington on Friday morning, launching a new US-brokered security coordination track aimed at preventing renewed tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border and bolstering the fragile ceasefire reached in mid-April.
“As we have repeatedly said, the only path to lasting peace is direct negotiations between two sovereign governments,” a State Department official told Fox News Digital.
The discussions mark a shift from diplomatic talks to direct military coordination, which are expected to focus on ceasefire enforcement, border stability, Israel’s withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon and the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces in deterring Hezbollah.
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Michael Needham, counselor at the US State Department; US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; US Ambassador to Lebanon Michelle Issa; Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Mouawad; and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter pose for a photo before a meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC on April 14, 2026. (Jacqueline Martin/AP Photo)
The talks mark the first time a US-brokered ceasefire has been reached amid a broader regional conflict linked to the US-Iran war. While large-scale fighting has subsided, Israeli forces continue to operate inside parts of southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah maintains drone and rocket capabilities, maintaining tensions along the border.
On 15 May the ceasefire was extended for another 45 days, putting pressure on both sides to show progress before the current arrangements expire.
But analysts say the key question in the talks is whether Lebanon can realistically curb Hezbollah’s military power without risking internal collapse.
“This will be the first meeting between representatives of the armies since the beginning of the negotiation process between Lebanon and Israel,” Ahmed Shaarawi, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told Fox News Digital.
Lebanon is represented in the talks by General Rodolphe Heckel, commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), who previously served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon, a region where Hezbollah maintains a strong presence. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist organization designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.
“We should look forward to negotiations regarding the ceasefire and what the LAF’s expectations are in terms of a comprehensive disarmament plan against Hezbollah’s weapons,” he said.
Shaarawi said the chances of widespread success would be limited as long as Hezbollah remained heavily armed and politically strong inside Lebanon.
“The biggest obstacle here is that the Lebanese state has not yet presented any viable plan to disarm Hezbollah,” he said.
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Analysts say the key question in the talks is whether Lebanon can realistically curb Hezbollah’s military power without risking internal collapse. (Ibrahim Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
He pointed to the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, which placed the responsibility on the Lebanese state to disarm Hezbollah.
“We have not yet seen a single bullet seized from Hezbollah,” Shaarawi said.
He also warned that Hezbollah’s deep support among Lebanon’s Shia population complicates any efforts to move toward normalization with Israel.
“There is a fear of civil war,” he said. “This also accounts for the reluctance of the Lebanese state to disarm Hezbollah.”
The talks began after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israel intended to maintain military pressure on Hezbollah despite the talks.
Shaarawi argued that the Trump administration is nevertheless committed to pursuing the process as part of a broader effort to weaken Iranian influence in the region.
“The reason behind these meetings is that President Trump is really trying to push for a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” he said. “Peace between these two countries could actually weaken Hezbollah and its influence in Lebanon.”
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Churches in the southern Lebanese town of Ramish remained standing throughout the conflict, and residents say the community resisted Hezbollah’s efforts to launch rockets from the area. (Jusur News)
Israeli analysts similarly described the talks less as a breakthrough and more as a strategic gesture aimed at Hezbollah.
“The war continues between us and Hezbollah,” Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and former head of the research division of Israeli military intelligence, told Fox News Digital.
“There is no doubt that the Lebanese government does not have a monopoly on the use of force in Lebanon.”
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IDF soldiers discover a Hezbollah weapons stockpile near a UNIFIL post in southern Lebanon in 2024. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
Kuperwasser said expectations for an immediate diplomatic breakthrough should remain low, but argued that the talks themselves send an important political message.
“The purpose of these talks is, first of all, to send a message to Hezbollah and the Americans,” he said. “Both sides are ready to sit together against Hezbollah and signal that they are moving, albeit slowly, toward normalization between Israel and Lebanon.”
He argued that Hezbollah has become politically and militarily weakened due to the ongoing conflict and growing frustration among Lebanese civilians displaced by the fighting.
“For years Hezbollah portrayed itself as Lebanon’s protector,” Kuperwasser said. “Many Lebanese now hold Hezbollah responsible for Lebanon’s suffering.”
Kuperwasser said that while Israel supports strengthening the Lebanese army, Beirut fears that a direct confrontation with Hezbollah could spark another civil war.
“The Lebanese government fears that military action against Hezbollah could lead to civil war,” he said. “That fear shapes everything.”
The talks also come amid growing domestic pressure inside Israel, where Netanyahu’s critics have accused the government of seeking containment rather than a decisive military victory against Hezbollah.
Speaking during a visit to Israel’s northern front on Friday, Netanyahu said Israeli forces had crossed the Litani River and were operating in several parts of Lebanon.
“We are operating across the entire front, in Beirut, in the Bekaa Valley, and are hitting Hezbollah hard,” Netanyahu said.
A woman holds her dog as she walks past burned cars, a day after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 9, 2026. (Emilio Morenati/AP)
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s leadership is attempting to balance growing US pressure with fears of internal instability and renewed sectarian conflict.
Following Friday’s meeting, the Pentagon released a statement, saying, “Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby hosted military delegations from the State of Israel and the Republic of Lebanon to launch a security track supporting the ongoing negotiations between the two countries.
“Delegations engaged in productive, military-to-military talks focused on building practical frameworks for regional security and stability. Progress and concrete outcomes from these discussions will directly inform the Department of State-led Political Track, which is scheduled to convene again next week.
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“The War Department deeply values its strategic partnerships with both the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The Department supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, free from armed non-state actors, and welcomes the commitment of both forces to these historic efforts. These are essential steps toward realizing President Trump’s vision for lasting peace in the Middle East.
“The United States hopes to regroup soon to continue the security track.”
Neither the Israeli Embassy in Washington nor the Lebanese Embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment.
