Netanyahu authorises Israeli talks with Lebanon after Trump intervention

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had approved direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” following pressure from US President Donald Trump to curb Israel’s bombardment of the Arab state.

In a statement on Thursday, Netanyahu said he was responding to “repeated calls” by Beirut to engage in talks, adding he wanted to disarm Hizbollah and establish “peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon”.

But his announcement came after a phone call with Trump amid concerns Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon is threatening a fragile two-week ceasefire that the US agreed with Iran on Tuesday to pause the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

Israel launched a ferocious wave of air strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, killing more than 300 people, as it intensified its campaign against Hizbollah, the Lebanese militant group that is Iran’s most important proxy in the Middle East.

Trump confirmed his call with Netanyahu in an interview with NBC News on Thursday, saying the Israelis were “scaling back” operations in Lebanon.

“I spoke with [Netanyahu] and he’s going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key,” the US president said.

One person familiar with the matter said Trump had urged Netanyahu to open talks with Lebanon, adding: “Trump appears to want to ‘lower the fire’ in Lebanon in order to keep everything on track with the Iran talks and enhance trust.”

Talks between the US and Iran about how to turn the temporary ceasefire into a permanent settlement are expected to be held in Islamabad on Saturday.

Both Trump and Netanyahu had said on Wednesday that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire agreed with Iran, despite protestations by Tehran and mediator Pakistan that the deal called for a halt to fighting across the region.

Israeli officials had been planning a fresh offensive against Hizbollah even before the war with Iran began in late February, with the goal of driving the militant group back from the Lebanese-Israeli border and preventing it from firing missiles at the Jewish state’s northern communities. 

Israel’s latest conflict with Hizbollah erupted after the group fired missiles and drones across the border in solidarity with Iran after the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli air strikes.

Israeli forces have pushed deep into Lebanon and seized a “buffer zone” in the south, around 8 to 10km beyond the border.

In a recorded statement on Thursday addressed to residents of northern Israel, Netanyahu said: “There is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We continue to strike Hizbollah with force, and we will not stop until we restore your security.”

The talks between Israel and Lebanon, longtime enemies which do not have diplomatic relations, are set to begin in Washington next week and would be the first to happen in decades.

The Israeli delegation will be led by Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, although Ron Dermer, an adviser to Netanyahu, is expected to play a prominent role behind the scenes. US ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa is due to lead the effort on behalf of the Trump administration.

A Lebanese official said no timeframe had been set for the talks, and Beirut was pushing for a ceasefire before discussions were held.

A US state department official said: “We can confirm that the department will host a meeting next week to discuss . . . ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon.”

Israeli officials last month rejected an offer of direct talks by Lebanon, demanding negotiations only take place “under fire”, people briefed on the situation told the FT at the time.

Beirut demanded there be a “cessation of fire” before any meeting took place, but the Israeli government insisted on continuing with its military campaign, some of the people said.

Hizbollah has opposed the Lebanese government’s efforts to hold talks with Israel as well as efforts by Beirut to disarm it.

The person familiar with the matter said Israel was not consulted by Washington ahead of the unveiling of the US-Iran ceasefire deal, and was only informed a few hours ahead of its implementation early on Wednesday.

Lebanon was originally part of the deal, but was ultimately taken out after a phone conversation between Netanyahu and Trump, with Israel receiving approval, at least initially, to continue its offensive against Hizbollah, they added.