After historic Lebanon-Israel meeting in Washington, both sides signal optimism but remain far apart on substance
Israeli envoy Leiter: 'Lebanese made it very clear that they will no longer be occupied by Hezbollah'
The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the U.S. met in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, in the first high-level meeting between representatives of the two governments since 1993.
The meeting, described by both sides as a preliminary step toward formal negotiations, was hosted at the State Department by Secretary Marco Rubio, Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa.
Despite not shaking hands ahead of the talks, as U.S. officials had reportedly hoped, Israel’s ambassador, Yechiel Leiter, and his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh, expressed optimism after the meeting and signed a joint declaration rather than publishing separate statements.
“All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue,” the statement read.
“We discovered today that we [Israel + Lebanon] are on the same side of the equation”
— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 14, 2026
An alliance between Israel and Lebanon to end the proxy terror group occupying southern Lebanon and restore peace would be a major step for the entire region.
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Leiter told reporters that the discussion had gone “as well as it could have,” noting that the sides “discovered today that we’re on the same side of the equation, and that’s the most positive thing we could have come away with.”
“We are both united in liberating Lebanon from an occupation power dominated by Iran called Hezbollah,” he said.
In a relevant, though broadly worded passage of the joint statement, the Lebanese government said it “underscores the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty,” referring to the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The United States, for its part, affirmed “its support for Israel’s right to defend itself from Hizballah’s continued attacks.”
Despite the optimism expressed by both sides, the ambassadors’ comments after the talks underscored the gap between the positions of Beirut and Jerusalem.
We have the courage to pursue peace through strength, and to work tirelessly for tranquility and prosperity for all.
— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) April 14, 2026
At the negotiations table today, I commended President Joseph Aoun and his government for not allowing itself to be held hostage to the threats of Hezbollah’s… pic.twitter.com/YK6RtNxdxy
Leiter said, “They expressed a strong will to, this time, disarm Hezbollah,” and “the Lebanese government made it very clear that they will no longer be occupied by Hezbollah.”
In addition, Leiter emphasized that Israel envisions a “long-term” solution with “a clearly delineated border between our countries, and 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.”
However, the Lebanese government, which has faced strong domestic opposition to engaging in negotiations with Israel, emphasized that it only seeks a ceasefire, without referring to any longer-term agreements.
In her own statement, Hamadeh said she “reiterated the urgent need for the full implementation of the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement,” and “emphasized the integrity of our territory and the full sovereignty of the state over all Lebanese land. I called for a ceasefire and for displaced persons to return to their homes.”
According to the statement, Beirut also called for “concrete measures to address and alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis that the country continues to endure as a result of the ongoing conflict.”
The Lebanese government has also confirmed several times that any potential ceasefire in Lebanon was separate from the war in Iran. Just before the talks, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said Beirut was seeking “direct negotiations” with Israel to reinforce “the separation between the Lebanese file and the Iranian track.”
A Beirut-based analyst spoke with The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity to evade prosecution under Lebanese laws prohibiting even private citizens having contacts with Israel,
He stressed that “these two theaters are tied to each other.”
“You can’t find a workable solution in Lebanon without trying to find a workable solution in Iran,” he added, calling Beirut's insistence on a ceasefire a “negotiating position.”
“In the end, you would need to create a scenario or a setup where you have Lebanese buy-in for whatever you’re trying to do with the Israelis,” he said, noting, “There’s really no realistic prospect of the government using coercive means to get to actually implement these decisions” against armed opposition from the country’s most powerful military force – Hezbollah.
The opposing viewpoints in the country were highlighted in the main headlines of two local newspapers on Wednesday morning.
The news outlet Nidaa Al-Watan, which is seen as anti-Hezbollah, published the title, “A taboo… that has been broken.” The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar headline read, “The regime of shame bows in Washington.”
The Iran-backed group said it would disregard any potential outcome of the talks and launched about 40 rockets at Israel on Tuesday, including some during the meeting.
On Wednesday morning, Hezbollah fired a heavy barrage of some 20 rockets at northern Israel, coinciding with the resumption of school classes in parts of the region after the IDF Home Front Command eased some restrictions. The group launched another 20 rockets at Israel over the following hour.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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