Donald Trump has announced that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will meet for the first time in over three decades, signaling a potential breakthrough in the war in Iran
‘Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,’ the president wrote on Truth Social late Wednesday night.
‘It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow.’
The president did not make clear exactly who would attend the talks. The peace negotiations between the two nations are the first to occur since 1993.
The military campaign between Lebanon and Israel has become a major sticking point in Trump’s quest to bring an end to the war in Iran.
The Israeli-US strikes against Iran on March 2 intensified already frayed relationships in the region.
Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon, has been participating in the armed conflict by launching missile attacks against Israel.
Israel’s retaliation in Lebanon has resulted in a catastrophic death toll, with estimates exceeding 2,000 Lebanese casualties. More than one million people have also been forced to flee their homes.
Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the nation was planning to set up a security zone on Lebanese territory, which would prevent thousands from returning to their homes.
In an effort to broker peace, several Lebanese and Israeli officials met at the US Department of State headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the meeting, which included Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa.
‘We 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,’ Leiter said after the meeting.
He added that the discussion focused on a ‘clearly delineated border’ between Israel and Lebanon.
‘The security of our civilians is not up for negotiation. This was a victory for sanity, for responsibility and for peace,’ Leiter said.
Leiter also declared that both nations were ‘united in liberating Lebanon’ from Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad called the meeting ‘productive’ while Rubio noted that the talks are a ‘process.’
Rubio added: ‘It’s a historic gathering that we hope to build on.’
Instability between Lebanon and Israel has contributed to the enduring conflict in the region.
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